Running to a Stand Still
by digitalprints
Summary: Troy and Gabriella have been best friends for as long as they can remember. But on a fateful night, feelings will be realized and awaken. But nothing about love is ever that simple. Shakespeare said it best: the course of true love never did run smooth.
1. Predator

_Summary:_ Troy and Gabriella have been best friends for as long as they can remember. But on a fateful night, feelings will be realized and blossom. But nothing about love is ever that simple. Shakespeare said it best: the course of true love never did run smooth.

_AN:_ I'm back, with a spanking new story. I wrote this chapter months and months ago, even before I wrote _Collide_ but I never really had an idea where it was gonna go. I just had this burning desire to write this chapter and that was that. But I knew that I couldn't just very well post this and not continue it given the nature of the ending and all. It took almost three months before I actually had a full-blown story in mind. I had point A (which is this chapter) and I already wrote point B (the end), just getting between point A to point B was the missing part. Even now, I only have a vague idea of what is going to happen but I figured, once I actually post this chapter, I will be inspired and forced to actually start coming up with something. Because of that, updates may come sporadically or weekly, depending on my muse. At the moment, I am also working on three other Troyella stories that I will post once I have _Running to a Stand Still_completed or maybe even before since I am itching to share the other stories that I have already started.

This is very much a Troyella story. Just remember that since I'm sure after you read this first chapter - a prologue of sorts, you'll be wondering and guessing and maybe even desire to start throwing heavy objects at me…

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own anything.

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_"What's meant to be will always find a way."_

**Predator**

He was drunk. Wasted. Hammered. Plastered. Trashed. Buzzed. More intoxicated that he's ever been in his entire life. Not that he made a habit of inebriation, in fact, he'd only picked up a drink or two in times of celebration and it was always in moderation. But yesterday was a once in a lifetime event. One that surely he and the rest of people in attendance will never forget - or at least will be gossiped about until another ingrate decided to make a fool of himself and orchestrate a scandalous and dimwitted incident for everyone to see and mock for years to come. He proposed and declared his undying love for a woman, not just any woman, _the_ woman. The one. His soul mate. His other half. His one true love. Only to be rejected by said woman. After twenty six years of bachelorhood bliss, he finally took a huge step towards marriage and commitment, a huge feat given his fondness for women, only to fall flat on his face.

_I can't._

True, he proposed to her at her own wedding. She was garbed in her wedding gown that fitted her like a glove, looking majestic and elegant. She was already standing next to her soon-to-be husband, the priest – an aging bald man that delighted in marrying such a gorgeous couple - in front of them, ready to ask them to recite their vows.

_I can't._

True, he barged in the church like a madman, running to the center aisle, proclaiming his love for her for the whole world to hear, oblivious and yet completely aware at the shocked faces of her wedding guests. But he ignored the hundred pairs of eyes staring at him in astonishment. Instead, he headed straight for her, evading the bodyguards trying to stop him. Once he stood in front of her, he kissed her and asked her to marry him. And at that moment, a resounding gasp filled the church and it was obvious that the guests were on the edge of their seats, awaiting her response.

_I can't._

True, his proposal was inappropriate given the time and place. Even he cannot deny that. She was getting married, to someone else, someone that was not him. He tried to stop her wedding - and failed. Who knew that with just two words, she can break his heart in a million pieces.

Afterwards was a blur. He couldn't really remember anything. He couldn't remember how he made it out of the church. At one point or another, he found himself at a bar, drinking vodka and gin as if it's nothing but water. Hours later, when he deemed it enough that there was a sufficient amount of alcohol in his body to numb him and make him forget everything that has happened, he ended up here, ironically enough, in a place where he ultimately realized his love for her. A week ago he was standing here, at this very spot and he had an epiphany, a realization that he wished to spend the rest of his life with her.

The moon was out, casting an ethereal glow on the area about him. New York lay sleeping, but the city, even at this late hour, was never truly silent. In a distance, he could hear a disembodied cry, the bustling of taxi cabs. New York, at any time and moment, was always bustling with life and yet, right here, right now, everything seemed so silent. So serene.

He plopped in a nearby bench and thought. He was sure she was married by now. To a man she barely know. Sure, she had dated him occasionally before but what did she really know of that womanizing cad. A man who did not deserve her. A man who could never appreciate her fully for who she was, quirks and all. Despite the rejection, he cannot help but still love her. And he knew, she loved him too.

_I can't._

Maybe he was just a glutton for punishment and a masochist but he wasn't ready to give her up without a fight. Maybe it was the alcohol working and making him delusional, allowing him to misinterpret things but she said, "I can't", not "won't" or even a flat out "No." She said "I can't."

Troy Bolton finally found her and he was willing to do anything to get her back.

Her husband or anyone be damned.

He was coming for Gabriella Montez and nothing and no one was going to stop him.

**~*~**

_Eight hours ago…_

His lungs were on fire.

He was running. Through the streets of New York, with one destination in mind, Troy Bolton was running, pushing himself to run faster, to move forward.

St. Patrick's Cathedral. He had to get to the church. He just had to. The wedding started at approximately three o' clock in the afternoon. And given Gabriella's penchant for promptness, the wedding will start at exactly three o' clock, not one minute too late or too early.

_What time is it?_He frantically asked himself. Sparing a second to glance at his watch, he inwardly cursed and ran faster.

2:49 pm.

He had six minutes to get to St. Patrick's. Six minutes to stop this ludicrous wedding that should not have happened in the first place. Troy turned around a corner and onto Madison Avenue, barely missing crashing into a couple. He muttered an apology only to get a "Watch where you're going, punk?" in return.

Seven more blocks to go.

Nothing was going to stop him. Not even cars or any pedestrians. He had to get to the church. His life - and hers - depended on it.

Troy skidded to a halt as a taxi cab passed in front of him, barely missing him by mere inches. And took a huge gulp of air. His body demanded that he stop. The burning sensation and pressure in his chest was indication enough that his body has reached its limits. But his mind and heart told him to keep going, to suck it up and get pass the pain. He had to get to the church. The second the cab moved past him, he was off again.

Only five more blocks to go.

2:58 pm.

He kept running.

He made another turn onto Fifth Avenue. Off in the distance, he could see white marble and stone that made up the façade of St. Patrick's Cathedral. He could see the church. He kept running, going and going. Bumping into people. Barely missing cars. He kept going.

3:11 pm.

Reaching the steps of the cathedral, Troy Bolton slowed down, taking in the flowers that decorated the front steps of the place. Two colorful banners hung, framing the primary entrance of St. Patrick's. Frowning, he ran up the stairs, stumbled and swallowed a curse. Upon reaching the entrance, he froze and halted in front of the impressively detailed front door of the cathedral.

He took a huge breath and then another, before wrenching the door ajar and opening it wide. If his abrupt entrance did not ensure to get the wedding guests attention, the crash heard after the door hit the outer wall would.

The church went silent and every guest turned to stare at him. The priest, one hand in the Bible and the other up in the air, paused and sighed before closing the book.

"Troy?" he heard her say incredulously.

Short of breath, he barely managed to reply. "Don't."

One smart aleck shouted, "We haven't reached that part yet, mister."

"You can't marry him, Gabi." he said louder this time, "Don't marry him." He staggered forth and tried to calmly walk towards her.

She said nothing. And the crowd sat still, waiting. He walked faster and saw her, looking so beautiful, one hand clutching tightly on her bouquet and the other covering her mouth, open in shock.

"Don't." He repeated, much forceful this time.

She took a step back.

"I love you." With each step he took, he repeated those three words over and over again.

At that moment, Troy Bolton saw no one except her. He didn't notice the groom, standing on the stand with a smirk on his face. He didn't see the guards running towards him. He wasn't aware of the stunned faces of the wedding guests and he sure as hell did not see his own parents, sitting still, mouths agape. Right there, in front of her and everyone in the damn building, he took her hands and kissed her. For Troy, it was just him and her. He was unmindful to the gasp that resonated in the cathedral. Breaking the kiss, he repeated, "Don't marry him."

"Troy, why are you doing this?" she whispered.

"I love you," he replied because those three words said it all, those three words were the only thing that mattered. "Marry me."

Her beautiful hazel brown eyes glistened and shook her head before stepping away. Away from him.

The entire church stopped breathing, awaiting her response.

"Marry me," he repeated loudly with much conviction but doubt and uncertainty at her response lingered in his voice.

Tears were rolling down her cheeks and she was biting her lip.

"Marry me." His whispered words sounded loudly in the stillness of the church. "Marry me because I love you. Marry me because I could never live without you."

He tried to swallow the lump in his throat. The wait was killing him but she just continued to stare at him, her silence and tears slowly breaking his heart.

Her head twisted slightly and then she spoke, pure anguish and despair laden in her words. "I can't."

And at that second, Troy Bolton knew what it meant to have his heart break in a million pieces.

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:ducks as tomatoes are thrown her way:

Reviews are appreciated. As always.


	2. Prey

_AN:_ Holy cow, I have never gotten this kind of response before so thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. Almost 30 reviews, that just blows my mind away… and so, as a huge THANK YOU, I bring you the second chapter, three days earlier that its intended post date. Because of this, I apologize now for any grammatical mistakes and changing tenses.

Like I said before, half the time, when it comes to this particular story, I'm sort of grasping at straws since even I don't fully know how this story will completely pan out. But I'm slowly getting there. A lot of you asked about the groom. Truthfully, I don't even know who the groom is at this point. You guys are not the only ones wondering, haha. I have an idea of who it might be but he's the safe choice so we'll see…

I'm not quite sure if this chapter will offer any answers. It just might end up confusing some of you. But hopefully not. So umm, yeah. And to clarify, yes, Troy and Gabriella will find their way back to each other. I am a TG fan after all.

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing.

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_"You never lose by loving. But you always lose by holding back."_

**Prey**

_Two months prior…_

Unlike most men of his acquaintance, Troy Bolton believed in true love. An idea that many men and women only scoffed at. True love, especially in the circles he mingled in, was just a fanciful notion, one for the dreamers, poets and the like. It was not for the rational and money-minded individuals who dominated the upper side of society that he lived in. To them, to love someone was a mistake, something that will only lead to one's downfall. Because for the snobby rich, love only complicated matters between individuals, not when the majority of marriages and relationships in this arena were dealt with like business deals. As archaic as it sounded, most were purely marriages of convenience, a merger between two families and their respective net worth, not one between two in love human beings.

But for Troy, love was very much a real thing. Love existed. His parents married for love. His grandparents married for love. So did his great grandparents and those that came before them. In a way, for the Bolton's and their intermediate family, love was not just a want when it came to starting a relationship, it was a need, a requirement.

At the tender age of twenty-six, he was at the top of his game. For his business associates and friends, inheriting the Bolton Co. secured him a prime spot in the money side of things. For women, he was the ultimate bachelor. One that personified the highest echelon of New York's most desirable and eligible single guy. But like his views on love and matrimony, Troy Bolton had a different idea. The image he presented to the press and the paparazzi may be of a guy with different women at his arms every night, but to those close to him, it was just that, an image. He may be blessed with good looks, but he was not what the tabloids portrayed him to be. A polygamous bachelor he was not. But that was not to say that he didn't enjoy the company of women. Troy Bolton was a man after all. He just wasn't whoring himself out to every woman he encountered.

"Troy, is that you?"

Halting, Troy stopped and searched for where the deep voice came. He saw Chad Danforth, his best friend of twenty-three years standing nonchalantly by the beverage cart, holding a glass of bourbon.

"Ah, so it is you. For a moment there, I thought I was hallucinating given that _this_ isn't exactly your usual playground."

"Funny, Chad," Troy glared and then added, "I was just in the area."

"Translation, Gabs gave you one of her puppy dog looks and you found yourself saying yes," Chad stated with an all-knowing smirk on his face.

"I'll have you know that I am an avid patron of the arts. No coercion from Gabriella was necessary."

A scoff was heard behind the two of them. Both turned and saw Taylor McKessie rolling her eyes playfully. "Patron of the arts, now that's a classic."

Walking to stand next to Chad, who placed his hand on her hip, she continued, "Just admit that you are here because of Gabi. Because if it wasn't for her, you'd be running around New York chasing anyone with a skirt."

A server passed by and Troy snatched a glass of champagne before downing it in one drink. "It's the other way around. They do the chasing." Troy responded arrogantly, playing along.

Taylor, being her usual feminist self, replied in turn. "One of these days, you'll open your eyes and see _the_ woman already standing right in front of you. And I hope she gives you hell, Bolton."

"She has to catch me first, Tay." Troy said, raising his now empty glass in the air in mock toast, "She has to catch me first."

"Troy? Troy!"

Said man looked up, blinking. Just in time to catch Gabriella Montez, his other best friend since he was in diapers, as she rushed forward and hugged him. "You made it," she breathlessly whispered over his neck. He then proceeded to ignore the jolt of electricity that coursed through his body, like always whenever she got too close.

Taylor and Chad gave each other a knowing look.

Detaching her self from Troy, Gabriella stood next to him and addressed her other two friends. "So, what do you guys think?" Troy couldn't help but appreciate how the black bustier dress hugged every curve of her body.

"With the way you barreled your way through Troy, I thought you didn't see us." Chad said to Gabriella while Taylor, looking pointedly at Troy mouthed the word, "Caught". Gabriella was about to respond but she was interrupted by another declaration. More like a shout from across the room really.

"Ah, my favorite group of people."

All four turned as Sharpay Evans, dragging her boyfriend Zeke Baylor by the arm and telling her twin brother Ryan to put away his phone, made her presence known. As always when it came to Sharpay, every place was a runway as she strutted towards where the group stood, her Dolce & Gabbana print chiffon dress fluttering with each step she took.

Tucking his Blackberry in his back pocket, Ryan handed Gabriella a bouquet of white lilies. "From the guys at the theatre."

Gabriella beamed and asked Ryan to thank them for her. He nodded. By her side, Troy felt increasingly annoyed as Ryan detailed a request "the guys" asked of Gabriella. As she laughed at the guy's compliments related by Ryan, Troy unconsciously leaned closer and placed a possessive grip on her hip. He tried to tell himself that his annoyance bred from his feelings of big brother overprotectiveness and that it wasn't because he was jealous. But he knew it was a lie. Sensing his touch, Gabriella looked up and shyly smiled at him. A smile, he knew, was only reserved for him. He felt like pounding his chest like a caveman in a very chauvinistic fashion at that thought.

Sharpay and Zeke shared a look.

A female journalist cleared her throat, trying to get the group's attention. "Ms. Montez, do you mind if I take a picture for the _New York Magazine_?"

Looking at her friends and receiving no opposition to the request, Gabriella nodded. Beside her, Troy moved closer, wrapping his arms more tightly around her waist. The same went for Chad and Taylor, with Sharpay as an exception. In her usual theatrical fashion, she posed model-esque next to Zeke who only grinned at his girlfriend's over-the-top tendencies. Ryan rolled his eyes.

After taking a couple of shots, the journalist thanked them and moved on.

Separating herself from her boyfriend, Sharpay came to stand in front of Gabriella and Taylor. "Why didn't you call?," she demanded.

The guys, hearing the start of Sharpay's rant decided that it was time to get acquainted with the bar and quietly left.

"We did call," Taylor asserted.

Gabriella added. "We left about a million messages. But **you** never called back. I think I even filled up your voice mail."

"I did not get any calls from you." Sharpay said, pulling out her Blackberry from her Hermès handbag. "See, I have… Oh." She abruptly returned it in her bag.

Gabriella and Taylor looked pointedly at her.

"I ran out of battery." Sharpay offered in explanation. She added in a careless shrug, as if it wasn't her fault to begin with.

At Sharpay's admission, the guys returned, each carrying champagne flutes filled with sparkling liquids. Each woman was handed one.

"So, what shall we toast to?" Ryan stated.

"How about," Zeke began, "to Gabs' successful gallery opening…"

Gabriella smiled at him across the few feet that separated them. "…and a night out with close friends." She then added.

"I'll drink to that." Chad agreed, raising his glass.

"Thank you guys for coming." Gabriella announced as everyone finished toasting and clinking their glasses, looking at each of her friends but most fervently at Troy.

Said man sent her his megawatt smile that would make any woman swoon. "What are friends for?"

A little bit of disappointment settled in Gabriella's stomach at hearing the word 'friends'. _"Just friends"._ She mentally added with dismay. But tonight was a night of celebration so for now, that was more than enough for Gabriella.

~.~.~

"We need to get the ball rolling. Now."

Presently sitting in a leather chair behind a mahogany desk, a man in his early fifties barely batted an eye as another man in his late fifties stormed in his office. He just gave a noncommittal grunt to signify he heard what the other man said.

The older man grunted back.

The man sitting in the chair sighed. And looked up. Clyde Harrison's arms were crossed, which were never a good sign.

"Forgive me for interrupting you," Clyde said in a dry tone, "but we have a problem."

"Okay. What is it?"

Clyde walked forward and slammed a magazine on the table. "_That_ is our problem."

He picked up the _New York Magazine_ and briefly scanned the headline. "Prima Paranoia: A Girl's First Glimpse of High Fashion and Art?" Bringing the magazine down, he stared confusedly at Clyde, "That's our problem?"

Groaning in frustration, Clyde grabbed the magazine and flipped it to the next page. Before slamming it back down on the table again.

"This whole thing is complicated enough," Clyde said in that tone of his that meant business, "we do not need any more complications. Problems that may arise from _these_." The last few words were more pronounced as he pointed repeatedly at the most prominent picture in the collage.

Recognition dawned on the man's face. Understanding where his associate's train of thought was heading, he shook his head. "They have known each other their whole lives. Just best friends. Nothing to be worried about."

Clyde cleared his throat. And when he spoke, there was an edge of annoyance to his tone. Again he pointed at the picture, "That is more than _friendly,_ if you know what I mean."

The man looked more closely at the picture and frowned. He looked up again. Clyde just arched a brow.

The man felt something tense at the back of his jaw. His grip on the magazine tightened as he squeezed it. "I'll have the lawyers draw up the paperwork."

The magazine fell to the ground as he hurriedly stood up.

Clyde nodded as he watched his friend head towards the door, ordering his secretary, Estelle, to organize the files in his table. Patting the man's back, Clyde offered, "I'll inform the board."

The door closed. Only to open seconds later as a stout middle-aged woman swept in the office, heading straight for the desk, with intent and purpose in her every stride. She stopped short at the mess in her boss' desk and set about tidying it. After picking up the files she needed, she was about to leave until she noticed a crumpled magazine on the floor. With one hand clutching tightly on the files, she picked up the magazine. Her curiosity got the better of her and she then proceeded to straighten it. After reading the short article, she turned the page over. She recognized Sharpay Evans, arms wrapped around a tall African American male in one the pictures. Estelle smiled at seeing the two of them together.

"Estelle! The files?" barked the man from across the floor.

"Coming, Sir." She replied as she hurried to the door.

The magazine fell to the ground again. Landing face up, front and center at that patchwork of editorial pictures was a picture of Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton, staring at each other with her arms splayed on his chest.

~.~.~

**_Prima Paranoia: A Girl's First Glimpse of High Fashion and Art_**

_by Martina Hayden_

_New York - When my wonderful editor told me that I was assigned to the Art section for the month of June, to say that I was dismayed was a total understatement given that I was a primary News correspondent. Disheartened would be a better word. I was so used to tackling 'front-page' type of news that I thought this new assignment would offer no excitement. So imagine my surprise when I arrived at Frange Gallery and paparazzi welcomed me at the front door. But I work at the New York Magazine so I thought nothing of it. Unperturbed, I entered the opulent space and was momentarily blinded by the arch of light bulbs that adorned the indoor entrance to the main gallery. I was annoyed at first but after the black spots cleared from my vision, I was greeted by a maze of dividers that profile numerous contemporary images from the likes of Irving Norman and Jessica Rohrer. Some, the most gory, were in vivid color while the rest were in black and white. The whole theme of the gallery was a juxtaposition of sorts - a collection of large-scale oil painting to minimalist photo images that provided a critique of contemporary life yet celebrated its beauty. And while some may consider the display as chaotic, it is within those disorganized and mismatched combinations that got the point across. And the guest has Gabriella Montez to thank for that. _

_Some may already be familiar with the name. During her early twenties, Gabriella Elizabeth Montez, the only daughter of Nicholas and Maria Montez of the Montez Pharmaceutical Corp., was a prominent fixture in the club scene, alongside her childhood friends Sharpay Evans, a now budding Hollywood actress and Taylor Mckessie, a high-profile lawyer. But it seems all that clubbing did not damper her academic pursuits. Graduating in New York University with a degree in Art History, Miss Montez started interning at several art galleries before working at Frange Gallery full time. Three years into her employment, she was promoted as its gallery director, a testament to Ms. Montez' excellent taste in art as well as organization skills in producing well-thought out exhibitions and galleries that both shock and enlighten its guests. _

_The juxtaposition did not end with the art displayed in the lavish exhibit. Its guests and patrons were a hodgepodge individuals of New York's social stratum. Thanks to Miss Montez and her influence, not only was I surrounded by respected art curators and aficionados alike but I was also rubbing shoulders with Manhattan's elite, dressed in their flamboyant and expensive garbs that no middle-class New Yorker can ever pull off or even afford. From business executives like Chad Danforth and Troy Bolton, who by the way was attached to Ms. Montez' side throughout the whole night, Ryan Evans, Broadway's most in demand choreographer to Zeke Baylor from the famed Baylor's Patisserie & Bistro, the opening night of the exhibition named the "All the Pretty Faces" was attended by a good mix of socialites, art enthusiasts and Wall Street's top businessmen. It was a night filled with entertainment indeed. No wonder the paparazzi were camped outside._

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Reviews are very much appreciated.


	3. Presumption

_AN_: As always, I am extremely grateful to everyone who reviewed, especially those who gave criticisms and suggestions as to how to make this story better. Thank you.

Onto the third chapter. The events that take place in this chapter wasn't exactly in the original outline but I figured it would be best if I build the Troyella relationship before jumping head on into action. Because after this, it will just be full speed ahead and since I'm not a big fan of fillers, pretty much every chapter that follows will be essential to the whole storyline.

And just a heads up, just because the most amazing person in the world, you know who you are, reported me for writing about real people, all Zan one-shots can now be found in my LJ page.

I apologize for any grammatical errors or changes in tenses.

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing.

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_"The first duty of love is to listen."_

**Presumption**

Sharpay Evans had always known what she wanted. And she never took no for an answer. No matter what obstacle, no matter what roadblock, nothing dissuaded her if she wanted something or someone. Some may call her spoiled but she'd like to think that that getting everything she wanted was her due, it was a norm. At the young age of two, when her Nana Rose gave her a timeout for doing something as trivial as throwing a block at Ryan's head, she screamed and wailed until her Nana Rose couldn't take the noise anymore and thus, putting her out of timeout. When she entered kindergarten and her teacher, Mrs. Smith would teach them about the concept of sharing, Sharpay, dressed in all pink, just batted her eye and tightened her hold on the only Barbie in the room. When she entered high school, she was much better at sharing her things and boys most especially - as long no one got in her way. Any girl can date any boy they liked - as long as Sharpay didn't have her eye on that particular boy. Through the years, she learned to share. But she does have to admit that her concept of sharing was not exactly on the same wavelength as what the rest of society considered as sharing.

Because Sharpay Evans always got her way. For a twenty-six year old New Yorker, she had everything she wanted in life. An burgeoning career in film. A doting family. An amazing boyfriend who at times, she thought she didn't deserve. But she'd never tell anyone that. A supportive group of friends. A lifestyle of fame and fortune that any girl would die to have. However, at this very moment, Sharpay Evans was not getting her way. And she was thoroughly annoyed. It was not everyday that someone said no to Sharpay Evans.

"What do you mean that I can't have the shrimp ravioli?" She more or less barked.

The terrified male waiter withered in his spot. "It's not in the menu, Ms. Evans."

Sharpay's grip on the said menu tightened. "Not. On. The. Menu."

Beside her, Gabriella and Taylor rolled their eyes at Sharpay's usual extravagant tendencies. Being her friend for more than two decades now has made the two of them immune to her many outbursts and rants. And evidently, the waiter named Mark was not. He must be new to_ Le Bernardin_.

Trying to save the poor soul, Gabriella gave a firm squeeze on Sharpay's arm before addressing Mark. "She'll just have the organic Scottish salmon. And forgive her for being so unpleasant, she's usually not like this." She added a smile, one meant to soothe Mark's nervousness.

And it seemed to have worked. Mark, whose posture seemed to straighten, nodded and collected their menus before proceeding to the kitchen. Once he was gone, Taylor glanced at Sharpay and stated, "You really have to stop terrorizing the new waiters, Shar."

Sharpay only shrugged. "What? If he's going to last in this establishment, he needs to start getting used to clientele that are very specific with their orders."

"Or just plain bitchy." Gabriella muttered under her breath.

"I heard that."

Before a fight could actually ensue, the appetizers arrived with a more confident Mark. Dinner passed uneventfully, with no more outbursts from anyone. An hour elapsed and the three sat, savoring their desserts. Ever since Sharpay came back to live in New York after a brief stay in Los Angeles (she said she hated the sunny weather but they knew it was because she was alone and by herself in that big city), the threesome have made sure that at least once a week, they'll get together to catch up on the ongoings of their busy lives. All three of them have been friends since the moment Sharpay took Gabriella's toy in kindergarten and Taylor came over to chastise her. It was an odd way to begin a friendship but despite their differences, in a way, their own strong personalities complimented each other.

Leaning back on her chair, Taylor took a sip of her coffee. Through the cup's rim, she looked at Gabriella at the corner of her eyes. "Troy and Gabriella looked pretty cozy last night. _New York Magazine_ even commented on it."

"Give it up, Tay. Dropping hints is useless. It is going to take a miracle before those two realize what is already in front of them." Sharpay stated, as if Gabriella wasn't sitting only inches from her.

"Their eyes are already open. They just need to listen." Taylor argued.

Sharpay sounded bored out of her mind but excitement flashed in her eyes when she continued, "Maybe we could just lock them in a closet. It always worked in the movies."

"We just need to make them realize that they have feelings for each other." Taylor affirmed, more rational with her suggestions.

"Maybe we could do usual make-him-jealous routine." Sharpay clearly was enjoying herself as she conjured up more clichéd scenarios.

Taylor's eyes lighted up. "Or maybe -"

"Or maybe, you guys can butt out of my life for once." Gabriella finally interrupted, frustration laden in her voice. She grabbed her bag, tossed a few twenties in the table and stormed out of the restaurant. She didn't stay long enough to see the surprised yet contrite looks on her friend's faces. All she knew was that she needed to get out of there. Away from their speculations, their wrong presumptions.

The now constant choice of topic amongst her friends that revolved around her and Troy's nonexistent relationship was slowly getting on her nerves. It wasn't like she did not want to believe what everyone else was saying. Just the thought of a "Troy and Gabriella" was something she dreamt of. But realist that she was, she knew that the thought of "Troy and Gabriella" was just in her dreams. Because no matter how much her friends said otherwise, not once did Troy ever show that he cared for her more than just a friend. There were times when even he flinched when she touched him. Times when he took a step back whenever she got too close. Little things that showed that whatever Troy felt for her, it was purely platonic. And Gabriella had to accept that. Because she'd rather have Troy in her life as a friend than not have him in her life at all. She wasn't like Sharpay who always got what she wanted. She wasn't like Taylor who was brave enough to take a leap of faith on things, even when she was unsure of the outcome.

She was Gabriella Montez. She was neither a dreamer nor an optimist. She was pragmatic. She weighed her options. She made pro-con list when deciding on something, even on things as simple as picking a bed sheet. She thought with her head, not with her heart. She can take chances, if need be - as long as the outcome will clearly be in her favor. She calculated the risks on every decision she made. And right now, proclaiming her undying love for Troy Bolton was a risk she couldn't take.

~.~.~

"You called me at two in the morning for this? A midnight dinner?" She asked as she took in the now decorated rooftop of her apartment building. Christmas lights adorned every corner of the space. In the moonlight, the glossy leaves of various potted plant that littered the usually dull area gleamed. A round table covered in red fabric stood in the rooftop's center.

"Not dinner. Just dessert." He answered, motioning for her to come forward. "A celebration of sorts for that successful opening night."

"This better be the best dessert I will have Bolton." she said, looking pointedly at Troy. She saw his lips twitch in response. Preoccupied with glaring at him, she didn't notice as he opened the silver cover, picked up a spoon and scooped out the dessert.

"Because if you haven't noticed, people usually sleep at - oomph" Her spiel ended when Troy pretty much shoved the spoon in her mouth. The moment the chocolate hit her taste buds, she moaned. It would be a lie to say that Troy was not affected by that delightful sound Gabriella just made.

"Baylor's upside-down soufflé?" she asked as she took another bite. And moaned. Again.

Troy cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. It was getting hot, fast. "What else? And according to my sources, you actually weren't sleeping when I called you."

Gabriella smiled at that. Or at least tried to but chewing was not exactly conducive to smiling when one's mouth was filled with the best chocolate dessert this side of New York had to offer. Sometimes, it doesn't hurt to be childhood friends with New York's budding pasty chef.

"So, I noticed Julian didn't come to the gallery opening."

"We were just dating, Troy." she halted, taking another bite before she continued, "And besides, Julian and I, we were never going to amount to anything more serious. "

"Well, I knew from the second he entered the room that he was all wrong for you. I never really know what you girls saw in him…"

Gabriella chose to ignore him and concentrate on the scrumptious dessert instead. In truth, Julian Rutherford was the exact opposite of her best friend. Both in coloring and in personality. Julian was the archetype of the 'tall, dark and debonair' males often featured in trashy romance novels. He knew the right thing to say to make any woman swoon and fall for him. And while Troy may have those same qualities, he never actually used them the same way Julian did. He was a cocky and arrogant. What drew her to Julian, Gabriella will never really fully understand but he definitely was the guy you dated, someone you had an amazing time with, not one you entered into a committed relationship with.

"Dance with me."

Startled, she looked up. "There's no music."

"Never stopped us before."

She shook her head but dropped her spoon nonetheless and placed her hand in his. "What is up with you tonight?"

Troy didn't respond. He only pulled her closer and yet they did not move. After a few seconds, Gabriella glanced his way and asked, "Are we just gonna stand here?"

"Wait for it." As if on cue, the first strings of Johann Strauss' _Wiener Blut_ began to play.

"Mrs. Wagner from the adjacent building," he tilted his head towards the direction of the said building, "plays every night at the exact same time."

She arched an eyebrow. "And you would know this how? You don't exactly live in this neighborhood."

"But I do pass by this area when I head home."

"At two in the morning?" Gabriella asked, genuinely surprised.

He just shrugged his shoulders. She was fully in his arms and whirling before she could actually ask more or even comment about his midnight rendezvous. Dancing with Troy had always been distractingly pleasant. He waltzed as he did everything else - with great concentration and craft. Every twirl and every glide just screamed of his effortless talent.

They moved down on one corner of the rooftop then slowly revolved gracefully about its perimeter. Both didn't even pay attention to each step they took, each move to the dance was like second nature to them. Neither spoke. Not because they were too engrossed with dancing but because with every move, their bodies drew closer. Gabriella's breath would hitch. Troy would slightly take a step back. But with another twist, they would find themselves in the same position, as her silk-covered body shifted against the hardness of his coat.

After awhile, the music stopped and yet, they still continued to waltz. Gradually, their steps slowed until they were only moving from side to side, rooted in the same spot they started.

"Just like when we were little kids." She murmured, afraid to break the dreamlike and magical atmosphere that surrounded them.

He couldn't help but laugh at the memory that accompanied her statement. "You forced me to practice the waltz with you every single day…"

"…and you loved every minute of it. You did end up taking the class with us."

"I still do not how you have managed to rope me into your many shenanigans over the years."

Twisting her head to get a better look at his face, she smirked. "You do have to admit, you made the perfect Prince Charming at that recital."

He looked down and captured her gaze. "And you, Miss Montez, made the perfect damsel in distress."

"Look at us now."

"Still charming those princes out there." He said, both amusement and annoyance rang in this voice.

She grinned but a hint of sadness was laden when she added, "Still saving those damsels-in distress."

Had Troy been paying more attention, he would have detected the dejected tone in Gabriella's voice. Had Troy been a mind reader, he would have realized that the girl he had known this whole lifetime was head over heels in love with him. But Troy Bolton was not a mind reader. Nor was he particularly perceptive when it comes to his best friend. Oh, he can very well sense if something was wrong with Gabriella, but it seemed, Troy's mind cannot detect what the heart was not yet ready to see. And so Gabriella's thoughts and hopes went unnoticed.

* * *

Reviews are much appreciated. I'm not a big fan of this chapter for some reason and I don't know why. Anyways, finals are coming up so the next two weeks might be a little hectic so I'm not exactly sure when I can update.

But here's a little preview if it helps.

**Chapter 4: Passion**

_Her hands free, she reached for him. But as he moved backwards to avoid her urgent touch, she lost her balance. In the end, he eventually put her arms around her, making sure she was upright and stable. __She tugged, almost desperately, at his shirt. _

_"Gabriella, stop." He said as caught her hands. With more force, he repeated, "Stop."_

_She whimpered but stopped undressing him. "For one night, I just want to make my own decisions."_

_Troy grimaced. "You're not exactly sober right now to make any sane decisions."_

_Like a petulant child, she stomped her stiletto-covered feet. He barely had time to step away before four inches of sharp heels crushed his feet. "I'm not drunk, you hear me. I know what I'm doing."_

_He just mumbled an "Of course you're not" to appease Gabriella who started struggling against him. _

_She drew a deep breath. With her hands still trapped in his, she stared right back at Troy. In a breathless whisper, she avowed, "I know what I'm doing. You have no idea how much I want this. Just one night." _

_Troy clenched his jaw. It was hard enough having her so close, her body so tender and luscious in his touch, he didn't need any more declarations like that. Before he could anticipate Gabriella's next move, her lips were on his. __And at that moment, Troy knew he was fighting a downhill battle._


	4. Passion

_AN_: Another update… I know, totally uncharacteristic of me. As always I am more than thankful for all the wonderful reviews, although it has been dwindling so if anyone finds any fault or criticism in _RTSS_, please do tell. Criticisms do help me to improve my writing.

Someone pointed out that last scene in the previous chapter is very TG "Can I Have This Dance" moment in the third _High School Musical_ movie and truthfully I didn't even realize it until said person pointed it out. Just sayin', haha.

And since some of you have said that you were confused with the timing, I just wanted to clarify that the first chapter is a flash forward of sorts. Chapter 2 and onwards, unless otherwise stated, will be flashbacks in relation to Chapter 1, taking place two months before Gabriella's wedding in the first chapter.

Predator - August

Prey and onwards - June/July

Oh, and um, this was rated M for a reason.

I apologize for any grammatical errors and changes in tenses.

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing.

* * *

"_In dreams and in love, there are no impossibilities"_

**Passion**

Insistent knocking woke Troy from his peaceful slumber. He tried to ignore it, thinking that it would eventually stop. But as seconds passed, the knocking only became frantic, more hysterical. Groaning, he got up from his comfortable bed and reached for a shirt on his way out.

The knocking continued fervently.

"I'm coming. I'm coming" He angrily shouted, incredibly annoyed at being woken up at this ungodly hour. Thank gawd that he lived in a penthouse so neighbors were not awakened by this inconsiderate ass -

"Gabriella?" he asked in inflections of utter disbelief. The woman standing before him looked like Gabriella. She even smelled like Gabriella - an intoxicating mix of jasmine and vanilla. But the woman standing before him was not the Gabriella he knew.

She looked up at him, frowning when she heard her name, one hand still up in mid-motion. "I had an accident." Before Troy could freak out and start worrying, Gabriella turned, showing him her back. And he groaned. The sides of her dress gaped so well below her waist, showing an expanse of perfect skin, the laces that used to tie her dress together damaged, as if it has been forcibly tugged. It was his turn to frown. Upsetting thoughts going along the lines of a bar tussle crossed his mind but it stopped when he heard the end of Gabriella's chatter.

"…stuck in elevator and poof, coat gone, dress loose." She was clearly intoxicated.

He turned and confirmed what she said. And there it was, her black trench coat stuck in between the doors of his private elevator. He could see the ripped laces on the floor. Troy focused back on Gabriella and started asking her questions.

"Are you in pain?","No one hurt you?", "You were fully clothed when you came up?", "Did anyone touch or talk to you inappropriately?"

All questions received a negative. She then added before he could ask some more, "I'm fine, Troy. It's just, I panicked when the doors closed and I struggled with my coat and," she sighed, "I ruined my Thread Social coat. It was my favorite too. And then this dress…"

A blabbering Gabriella was a good sign Troy decided as he guided her inside his penthouse. He left her in the living room as he searched for a more appropriate clothing. From his room, he heard her say, "You bought new furniture."

Troy nodded, then realized that she couldn't see him. He yelled out an affirmative and explained more as he headed back to her, "I was getting tired of the really dark tones in the room and besides it was ti-"

He stopped short when he saw her, leaning against his leather sofa. She was holding the front of her purple silk-gauze dress with both hands cupping her breasts. The image alone caused him to drop the clothes he brought and he didn't even notice, but she did. Gabriella moved forward to pick the clothes up when Troy did not move an inch.

With every step, the ruffled trim in her layered skirt shifted and caressed her bare flesh that was exposed. Despite being actually fully clothed, the open back made the dress so loose that it left nothing to Troy's imagination, revealing bits and pieces of her naked skin he had tried not to see from the moment he hit puberty and realized he felt more than just brotherly love for his best friend. If he thought it was hard to be around her before, the lust he was feeling at the moment was undeniably hard to repress. And as she bent down to retrieve the clothes, he suppressed another moan at the sight of the barely-there dress that provided no cover for her backside. Too engrossed with his own thoughts, he didn't see Gabriella as she slipped around him and headed to his bathroom. Moments later, she reappeared, more suitably dressed. He tried to forget the naked skin he just saw.

"I'm really sorry for waking you. I just," she paused, as if rethinking her thoughts, "… I just didn't want to be alone."

Troy hesitated before turning around to meet her gaze, completely ignoring - or at least trying to, how amazing, how much it felt so right for her to be wearing his clothes. "S'okay. Care to tell me what you were doing tonight?"

"Just went to a bar." Gabriella answered as she crossed the living room and headed into the kitchen. He trailed after her.

"It's been awhile since you actually went clubbing."

She shrugged and got a glass of water.

"Did you go by yourself?," he inquired.

Again, she shrugged her shoulders.

"Still not talking to Tay and Shar?"

This time, she bit her lip, a sure sign that she was nervous and _then_, shrugged her shoulders.

Rounding the dining table to stand in front of her and stare into her cinnamon brown eyes, he asked, "Are you gonna answer any of my questions or are you just gonna shrug in response everytime?"

She looked right back and answered helpfully, "Yes."

"What happened tonight, Gabriella?"

She sighed. "Nothing, I just wanted to get out, have fun."

Troy stated, "See, the Gabriella I know, her definition of fun nowadays is going to the theatre or an art gallery. She'd prefer a quiet night at home with friends than going out clubbing with random strangers."

She grimaced.

He continued, "Now, care to try to this again? What happened tonight?"

Gabriella looked so helpless, so vulnerable at that moment that Troy felt bad for pushing. But he needed answers. She scooted away from him and placed the glass on the sink. Turning, she stared right into his eyes and explained, melancholy seeping into her voice, "I was just in my office ignoring everyone's calls and I dunno, it felt like everyone's moving forward except for me. Then I got a call from Mom and Chad stopped by, and I just wanted to get out there, it was suffocating, you know. Everyone has all these expectations and," she shrugged feebly, "I just wanted to get out."

"Expectations?" Troy asked warily, unsure of what she was talking about.

Gabriella started, explaining things that Troy have no idea of. "They have always gone for what they wanted, unafraid and without a care in the world. I've always envied that of them. It's not because I'm afraid - okay, maybe I am but I just have to weigh the risks before I do something. I have too much to lose and… and… and," she suddenly stopped.

And to say that Troy was clueless as to how to proceed was an understatement. He didn't know if he should wait till she got whatever it was that was bothering her out of her system. He didn't know if he should hug her and tell her that it was going to be okay, even if he had no idea what was actually happening at the very moment. He just didn't know what to do.

Abruptly as she halted in her confession, she started babbling on again of things he couldn't understand. She lost him the moment she started talking about taking chances and risks. Gabriella watched him, oblivious and confused. Right then and there, she knew what she wanted, no, needed. She started walking in his direction and once she stood mere inches from he, she declared, "I wanna take a risk."

Again with his clueless expression, Troy answered, "Okay." But it sounded more like a question.

"I wanna take a risk, Troy." She repeated as she took a tiny step forward, enough come in contact with his chest. She brought her hands up to his chest but at that moment, Troy came to his senses and realized what risk she was truly talking about. Before she could actually rest his hands on his clothed body, he caught her hands and glared at her.

"No." He fervently declared and moved away from her. But the memory of her body touching his remained.

Her hands free, she reached for him again. But as he moved backwards to avoid her urgent touch, she lost her balance. In the end, he eventually had to put her arms around her, making sure she was upright and stable. She tugged, almost desperately, at his shirt.

"Gabriella, stop." He said as he caught her hands. With more force, he repeated, "Stop."

She whimpered but stopped undressing him. "For one night, I just want to make my own decisions."

Troy grimaced. "You're not exactly sober right now to make _any_ sane decisions."

Like a petulant child, she stomped her stiletto-covered feet. He barely had time to step away before four inches of sharp heels crushed his feet. "I'm not drunk, you hear me. I know what I'm doing."

He just mumbled an "Of course you're not" to appease Gabriella who started struggling against him.

She drew a deep breath. With her hands still trapped in his, she stared right back at Troy. In a breathless whisper, she avowed, "I know what I'm doing. You have no idea how much I want this. Just one night."

Troy clenched his jaw. It was hard enough having her so close, her body so tender and luscious in his touch, he didn't need any more declarations like _that_. But before he could anticipate Gabriella's next move, her lips were on his, eager, even desperate. And at that point in time, Troy Bolton knew he was fighting a downhill battle.

~.~.~

He told himself to take his hand out of her - or his shirt. He told himself to break the kiss, to stop it before this whole thing got out of hand. He repeated that thought in his head, again and again and again. But his body just failed to comply. To be crude, as she suggestively arched her body, he was thinking with a certain male anatomy rather than his brain.

Disregarding what his mind was telling him to do, Troy explored any part of her body that he could touch. He didn't exactly know when he lost his shirt but Gabriella's caressing touch on his bare chest wrecked havoc on his already overtly-sensitive senses. He tried to break the kiss, he really did, but every time his lips moved just mere centimeters away from hers, she just drew him back again and plunged back into his mouth. So sensual and searing.

He was about to give in and just let nature ran its course when he remembered who exactly was so pliant in his arms.

_This was Gabriella. His best friend_. The rational side of his brain shouted.

But his heart screamed louder. _The one you're also madly in love with. _

It took an enormous amount of effort but he finally forced himself to break their passionate kiss. He cleared his throat and tried to breathe. And smelled jasmine and vanilla.

"We need to stop." But his eyes were intently focused on her swollen lips.

She took a deep breathe and wet her lips. Her gaze dropped to his mouth, lust swirling in her lucid brown eyes. "I don't need to stop."

But they had to, Troy reasoned. "Gabri -"

And her lips brushed against his before he could fully say her name. "Stop fighting this, Troy." It sounded like a order, a declaration but between those words, he could hear the plea in her voice. He tried to put together an argument, the very same ones he has always thought of whenever he had a sudden urge to just throw caution to the wind and essentially act on his feelings for her, but none of those arguments came to mind. She never gave him the chance because she framed his face and kissed him again. Hard. Deeply. More determined. She pressed down more firmly across his hips as they lay sprawled on his leather couch. He was aroused and when she pressed herself against him, she'd clearly felt it. And the sound she made just caused Troy forget about everything and anything else. To give in to the inevitable.

He seized her about the waist and flipped them over, rolling her onto her back. Her eyes widened at their sudden change in position but she couldn't really complain when he reached for her face, his masculine and strong fingers entangling themselves in her ebony locks and pulled her to him. His hands caressed her face, her jaw, her neck as it traveled downward to unbutton her shirt. Not once did he break the kiss and when breathing did became compulsory, he broke the kiss to breathe in precious oxygen before diving back in, devouring her with his fervent kisses. Not that Gabriella was complaining. All she cared about was the wonderful feelings he was making her feel.

Troy angled his head to trail languid kisses along her jaw to her chest before kissing his way upwards until he reached her ear, bit it before whispering, "Are you sure?"

She heard the uncertainty in his voice, the fear of a possible rejection. Her eyes opened, just enough to stare dazedly at him and knew beyond question that no matter the consequences that tomorrow will bring, she will never ever regret this night. Here, in the arms of the man she has loved since she was thirteen, she knew that she couldn't imagine being with another man again, she couldn't love another man. She held his gaze, tried to show him what she felt, not just the lust but the all-consuming love she felt for him. And ever so slowly, with a finger, she sensually touched his face, committing to memory everything that has transpired this fateful night. Deliberately, she pushed the sleeves of her shirt down her arms and with her gaze still locked with his, threw the shirt, leaving her naked. Her breast brushed his chest as she leaned up to kiss him gently. And in a breathless murmur, she asserted, "I've never been more sure in my entire life."

Troy drew a long and deep breath. He knew that it was a mistake to let their lust rule them, that it was imperative that they discuss what they actually felt for each before proceeding but her responses, her touch just drove him beyond any coherent thoughts.

Braced above her, he kissed her. But this time, it was different. More potent. More passionate. More revealing as his lips overwhelmed her senses. It was a kiss between two lovers. Moments later, an overwhelming pleasure surrounded her as he entered her. The desire built as he pushed further. She bit her lip so hard she was afraid it was going to bleed. And as he moved within her, her lips sought his, her body arching sensually against his, her hips lifting and moving in tune with his. With a groan, he pushed deeper and the sound of her breath hitching was like music to his ears. Her fingers dug into his back as she screamed the moment climax overcame her, he followed moments later.

Gabriella's quiet yet ardent whisper of "I love you" was the last lucid thought either of them had before a second wave of climax consumed them.

* * *

Truthfully, I felt incredibly uncomfortable the whole time I was writing this. A good 3000 words of sexual smut… :blushes:

Oh, finals are coming up, in three days to be exact so next update might come in a week or two. So sorry in advance. But hey, four updates in a span of 9 days is incredible to me given my past history so yay me.

Reviews are much appreciated, as always.


	5. Panic

_AN:_ As always, THANK YOU so much for everyone who reviewed. I apologize of the lateness of the chapter but with finals and relatives coming and going for Christmas break, I didn't have time to actually write nor the luxury of being able to use my beloved computer long enough to sit down and write. That and the fact that I had a major writer's block. Then the Zan birthday pics came out, instant inspiration. Also, given the upcoming holiday festivities, I'm not quite sure when I can update this again but hopefully, I'll have the sixth chapter by the last week of December. And I'll be updating _Missing Pieces_ so be on the lookout for that in a few days.

Truthfully, I wasn't quite sure how to proceed with the morning-after scene. Every time I wrote something, I second guessed myself and wondered how the scene might affect the whole plotline that I already had planned out in my head. And so I agonized and re-wrote the first scene what seems like a million times. Even now, it has left me in a bit of a mess because the direction of this chapter was not how I originally intended.

I apologize for any grammatical errors or changes in tenses.

Enjoy.

Disclaimer_:_ I own nothing.

* * *

_"The hardest part of dreaming about someone you love __is having to wake up."_

**Panic**

He wasn't quite sure what woke him. From his bedside window, New York laid dead asleep before him. And as consciousness slowly invaded his body, that was when he felt it. Even before he lifted his head, he absorbed the fact that there was someone else on the bed with him, a warm luscious body that stirred slightly as he faintly moved away from her. Even before he looked down to catch a glimpse of the body next to him, he was reminded of who exactly the woman was.

_His best friend._

That was when the memories from last night came rushing back to him. The memories, however short as they may be, were vividly bright. The way she bit her lip and moaned when he hit a particularly pleasurable spot. The way her bare breast rose and fell. The image of her cinnamon brown eyes clouded with lust. The way her body gently flushed red whenever he touched her. The way her lips slightly parted in a quiet scream as ecstasy took her. It was a sound that he yearned to hear again. And again. He remembered. As he settled on his stomach, feeling her move towards him, seeking for warmth, he remembered, committing to memory every single second of that satisfying night. And when she snuggled deeper into his arms, he stilled as her words from what seemed like hours ago drifted into his ear and mind, as if she actually spoke them. But she laid there sleeping, sated and content if that peaceful expression on her face was any indication.

_I love you._

Lifting his hand, he brushed a stray lock from her cheek and he couldn't help but wonder at the truth of her words. A part of him liked to attribute the three little words of hers as something brought on by the alcohol. Something that was said just in the heat of the moment. But he could not ignore the look on her face when she said it. There was no hint of reticence, of shyness. With directness and certainty that stole his heart, she said those three words that he has craved to hear the moment he realized that he loved her too. And he knew she meant it. She meant every word. Because when it came to matters of life and love, Gabriella Montez never joked. When she loved, she gave her heart freely and wholly. And that scared the shit out of him. Not because he did not return the sentiment but because for the first time in their relationship, they were on uncharted territory. He didn't know how to proceed or how to act. He didn't know where to go from here.

Shaking off the sensation, the strong emotions that left him peculiarly weak, not just in mind but in body, Troy hesitated before tightening his hold on hers. She sighed deeply in her sleep. With one last look at the beauty next to him, he closed his eyes, succumbing to dreams of what-ifs and what-could-be's.

The next time he opened his eyes, he was alone in his bed. Blinking fully awake, he stared at the empty space beside him - the space where she should have been - in abject incredulity. Instead of cuddling to a warm body, he was left alone with a note.

_I'm sorry for not waking you and leaving so abruptly. __Emergency meeting at Frange's. Dinner later?_

_Love, Gabriella._

Troy smiled. He could just imagine her stressing over what to write, how to phrase things as she bit the pen, face still in consternation and thought. And if the dents and erased markings on the paper were any clue as to her confused and jumbled thoughts, he was glad. Because dear gawd, he hated being the only one confused by it all.

~.~.~

She wasn't quite sure how her once peaceful life got so messy. So entangled with chaos and bedlam that even she cannot fathom how it got this frenzied without any warning, any signs. It was like the chaos just slowly crept on her, yet she never noticed. Never noticed that her relationship with Troy had slowly been evolving into something she knew both of them were not ready for. Never noticed that her father's company was slowly crumbling while she partied her life away back in her college days, its repercussions only emerging now.

Gabriella found it incredibly ironic that she often internally complained that everyone was moving forward with their lives except for her. And then boom. Out of the blue, just like that, not only was her life moving forward, it was progressing beyond her control. And now she found herself complaining about the fact that her life was moving at a pace she couldn't handle, the fact that everyone's expectations are laid on her, as if she didn't have a choice on how to live her life in the first place, as if she wasn't capable of making her own choices.

Apparently, it was true, be careful what you wish for.

_The day started off as planned for Gabriella, just the way she liked it. _

_It was a Friday. Her alarm rang at six in the morning. And like clockwork, she went for her morning run. Shortly after circling the nearby park eight times, she headed home to shower and eat, leaving her apartment at exactly 7:45 am. Fifteen minutes later, she was at work and already wishing that the day was over and done with. _

_As much as she loved her job, the week had gone by unbearably slow. Between ongoing arguments with Taylor and Sharpay over her relationship with Troy and the mounting responsibilities at her work, she should have felt swamped, exhausted even. But instead, she found gaps in her days, like today, where she did absolutely nothing productive. And in those quiet moments of solitude, she pondered. It were in those moments of pondering that got her thinking that there was something missing in her life. She had a loving family, a great group of friends and a wonderful job that she adored. Yet she didn't feel complete. Her mother always attributed that emptiness to that fact that she haven't found her 'other half' yet. Even Taylor and Sharpay agreed. And so, she contemplated their words and everywhere she looked for answers to fill that void in her, it always went back to Troy. Her best friend. For as long as she can remember, Troy and her have been best friends. Born only a few months apart, they have spent every waking moment they had with each other, creating a friendship that was much more deeper and intense when compared to her friendships with the rest of the gang. She wasn't quite sure when it happened. There really was no exact time or date when she realized that her feelings for Troy were more than platonic. It was as if suddenly, Troy became something more than just a friend. He wasn't just the guy who held her hand on the first day of kindergarten. He wasn't just the guy who comforted her when her first boyfriend broke up with her. He became _the_ guy. But twenty six years of friendship wasn't an easy one to break. Especially when declaring her feelings for Troy might possibly jeopardize that said friendship. And so, she kept her mouth shut and heart closed. _

_By noon, her musings about her love life took a turn into the bizzare. _

_By dinner, it took a turn for the worst._

_And by midnight, it took a screeching halt. _

_~.~.~_

_When Gabriella reached her parent's house for their weekly lunch date, she wasn't expecting anything else except bonding with her parents. But dear gawd, she got so much more. _

_It was in between the servings of Roquefort pear salad and chicken fettuccini alfredo that all hell broke loose._

"_You've done many idiotic things in your lifetime Nicholas but this… _this _is unforgivable. She's your daughter, not some object you can trade up for cash." Maria Montez was so furious she was tightly gripping her fork as if it was an weapon. And maybe it could with its pointy ends. _

_Gabriella's heart began to beat far too quickly. In between the appetizer and the main course, she found herself engaged. Beside her, her mother fumed at her father. Yet she just sat there, trying to understand the words coming out of her parent's mouth. _

"_How much?" she heard herself say. Both of her parent's looked at her in surprise. The second Nicholas Montez gave them the 'happy' news, Gabriella became drab and quiet. Her parents took it as a sign of shock. And so her mother argued in her behalf. It was the first words she spoke since her father's announcement._

"_Gabi," her father stated slowly, cautiously. _

"_How much?" she said with more force. _

_Nicholas gulped and gave her the figure amount. _

"_A hundred?" she repeated. "A hundred million?" _

_He could only nod. Her mother started sobbing._

_Gabriella sat perfectly still. Quietly, she said to herself but loud enough for them to hear. "I didn't even know I was worth that much. I guess that's a huge compliment in of itself." _

_She met his stare with cold detachment but inside, she was angry. Angrier than she has been in her entire life. "Why?" And that was when she emotionally broke down, "Why? She felt her throat tightening, "Did you not even think of me, your daughter, when you just traded me in to a marriage for a hundred million dollars?"_

_Hurriedly, Nicholas started to explain, "Do you remember when your uncle left?"_

"_Uncle Jorge?" she whispered. _

_Her father chuckled bitterly. "When your uncle dropped off from the face of the planet ten years ago, he took with him everything. And I mean everything Gabriella. All the assets, the money, all of it. Even with all the money I had that wasn't tied to the Montez Pharmaceutical Corp, the company would have still gone belly up. Back then, we had close to 10,000 employees, not to mention stockholder's and everything else that were depending on me. I was resigned on declaring bankruptcy after I've exhausted all my options and then Clyde came in. This company has been in our family for ninety years and when Clyde offered to give in some capital to save the company, I had to say yes."_

"_In exchange, you gave your daughter to him." She ended bitterly. _

"_No. You have to understand, when he offered to help, I asked him what he wanted in return. But this is Clyde Harrison, he's a multi-billionaire, a hundred million is just like pocket change to him. He didn't care about the money. He genuinely wanted to help out. But he did have a problem with his sons." _

"_Wait_, _Clyde Harrison, as in Julian's father?"_

_He nodded. "You see, legacy is very important to him. He wanted to pass on his company to his sons and their son's. The problem is, both sons bat for the other team, if you get my drift." _

_At that, Gabriella couldn't help but laugh. "James is happily married to Mike, yes. But Julian is not gay." Then it hit her. "Oh gawd, did you guys plan this, for me to date Julian?"_

"_No. We didn't even know you were dating until about a couple of months ago. That was purely luck on our part. We thought it would make it easier to convince the two of you with this whole marriage of convenience deal. We weren't planning on intervening, you know, just letting nature run its course between the two of you and maybe, just maybe, it would end in a real marriage."_

"_But we've broken up many times before." _

"_Exactly, but you always ended up back together. The marriage between you and Julian isn't a done deal, Gabi. It's not part of the stipulations when Clyde invested in our company. It's more a suggestion of sorts." _

_She couldn't take this. It felt like everything and everyone was closing in on her. She was suffocating and she needed to get away. _

"_Where are you going?" Her mother asked, clearly distressed. _

"_Anywhere but here". Gabriella said, without looking back. _

_She came in single and left engaged. _

_~.~.~_

"_Gabriella, its Ta -" the words floated from her intercom as her secretary Chelsea buzzed in. _

_She didn't have to hear the rest to know that Chelsea was calling in to tell her about Taylor and Sharpay. Ever since that disastrous dinner at _Le Bernardin_, both of them have been trying to make amends. Said apologies failed the moment they started preaching about her relationship with Troy again. _

_Interrupting her, Gabriella answered, "Tell them I'm in a meeting or something. Better yet, tell them I'm at some gallery opening across town."_

_There was silence on the other end._

"_Chels?"_

"_Erm… They're actually, umm, on their way to your office as we speak. Sorry," came the nervous reply. _

_She sighed. "Its fine. And Chels, go home. I'll lock up."_

_Chelsea apologized again before ending the call. Gabriella muttered several obscenities she picked up from Chad and wished she went home, had dinner and called it a night instead of staying to finish her work. With all the drama she'd endured today, she just wanted to sleep and forget this day happened._

"_We heard that." Sharpay stated, announcing her arrival. _

_Gabriella looked up. "You did?," she asked, horrified._

_In her usual unruffled demeanor, Taylor said blandly, "Sarcasm doesn't suit you, Gabi."_

"_Well, will bitchiness work for you? Because if you're here to apologize _again_, I'd rather not hear it." She irately replied. _

_Taylor and Sharpay shared a look. _

"_We're actually here, not to apologize since we have been making such a mess of that lately, but to say we're backing off." Sharpay explained. _

_Gabriella blinked and looked to Taylor for confirmation._

_Said woman begrudgingly agreed when Sharpay glared at her. Only to add, seconds later, "Like Shar said, we're backing off from telling you that you and Troy are meant for each other. We're backing off from convincing you to open your goddamn eyes and see what's right in front of you. And we're backing off from convincing you to listen to your heart and go for what you want for the first time in your life." As her spiel went on, Taylor's words were uttered with more conviction and force, as if by doing so would make their stubborn friend listen._

_Gabriella felt her jaw clench. "Argh. This. Is. Why." She said with the same anger, "This is why I have been avoiding you guys for the past few days." _

_Apparently, Taylor wasn't done yet. "And oh, we're also done telling you that you could do so much better than those guys you're dating if you just admitted to yourself that you are in love with Troy. We're done." _

_Off to the side, Sharpay sighed. And to think I was the melodramatic one, the actress said to herself. _

_Gabriella let out an irritated exhale and exploded. "Admit it to myself? Would that make it all better if I say it out loud, huh? Would it make any difference if I said I am in love with Troy? Coz' there, you have it." _

_Taylor wasn't backing down, she got this far. "I don't want a declaration, Gabi. I want you to do something about it." _

_Gabriella swallowed and tried to stop the imminent shedding of her tears. And failed. "I can't. Because the moment that I do, it becomes a reality." She hiccupped and tried to control her breathing as more tears fell down her cheek, "And then I realize that it can't be __**my**__ reality." _

_Taylor was by Gabriella's side even before she realized it, wrapping her arms around her crying friend in comfort. Gone were the feelings of anger and irritation. Instead, it was replaced by feelings of helplessness and despair of not knowing how to help Gabriella. Drying away her tears, Taylor said, "But it can be yours. It can be your reality, Gabi." _

_Her eyes widened and she shook her head. "I'm already engaged." _

_Then Taylor and Sharpay waited. For the longest time, they just stood there, staring at Gabriella and waiting for the punch line to her joke. None came. And when she raised her eyes to stare at the two of them, the look in her eyes, so stark and deep stopped them. Because in her eyes - devoid of any real emotion, they saw the truth. _

_Silence fell as the three digested that bombshell of a confession. _

_~.~.~_

_She had no idea what the hell she was doing here, knocking on his door at the middle of night. In truth, this was the last place she should be. But the moment she was left alone at her apartment by Taylor and Sharpay after what seemed like a long night of heavy drinking, she just couldn't take in the silence. She needed to get out. So with no regard on the time, she headed for Troy's. Knocking fervently on his door like death was on her heels. _

_And then he opened the door. And her heart broke a million pieces at the sight of him, looking very much like a Roman god that only the likes of Michelangelo can re-create. _

"_Gabriella?" he asked in bewilderment. _

_She looked up at him and frowned. And thought of what to say, how to answer and settled with a simple, "I had an accident." She turned to show him what happened when her coat got stuck in the elevator, leaving her with a ruined dress that was barely hanging in there. She explained but everything seemed like a mess. Just like her life. And then he started asking questions rapidly. Worry laden in his voice._

_"Are you in pain?","No one hurt you?", "You were fully clothed when you came up?", "Did anyone touch or talk to you inappropriately?"_

_She answered "no" to each question, trying to ease his worry. "I'm fine, Troy…" She reassured, hoping to take away the frown in his face. And then he was leading her inside. It took her a second to realize that his apartment looked very different the last time she was here. _

"_You bought new furniture," she heard herself say. _

_His voice sounded far away when he answered. She blinked and realized that he wasn't even in the same room as hers. _

"…_really dark tones in the room and besides it was ti -". _

_And then he suddenly stopped. Gabriella looked at him strangely when he dropped the clothes he carried into his newly furnished living room. Assuming it was for her, she started walking towards him, trying to adjust her hold on her dress that was slowly falling apart by the second. She felt a gush of wind hit her back and shivered. She figured getting dressed in a more appropriate and warmer attire should come first before asking Troy if he was okay. Walking to the bathroom, she looked back and wondered why he was standing so still. It wasn't like this was the first time he saw her partially naked. _

_When she came back, fully dressed in his button down shirt, he was still in the same position as before. _

"_I'm really sorry for waking you," she wondered if she should tell him but settled on a more vague explanation. "… I just didn't want to be alone." _

_Troy wasn't happy with that and probed more. "S'okay. Care to tell me what you were doing tonight?"_

_Her throat felt dry. "Just went to a bar." It was true enough. He just didn't need to know the reasons for her trip to the bar._

_He followed her as she headed to the kitchen. And asked more questions she didn't feel like answering. So she only gave him a shrug. Which annoyed him, she could tell as he came to stand before her, with a scowl on his beautiful face. _

"_Are you gonna answer any of my questions?"_

"_Yes." She answered. Just not in full detail, she said to herself._

"_What happened tonight, Gabriella?"_

_She gave him another unsatisfactory answer about just merely going to a bar, trying to downplay it._

_Like a true best friend, he saw right through it. __"See, the Gabriella I know, her definition of fun nowadays is going to the theatre or an art gallery. She'd prefer a quiet night at home with friends than going out clubbing with random strangers."_

_She could only grimace because he hit the nail right in the head._

_The scowl in his face turned into a slight frown. He looked at her with concern in his lucent blue eyes. "Now, care to try this again? What happened tonight?"_

_It was hard to stay nonchalant about it all when he was looking at her like that. Before she knew it, she started rambling about her worries and dilemma. He clearly looked confused. The more she rambled, the more it became clearer. For once in her life, she wanted to step out of the box. She wanted to do something for herself. She wanted to do something that was so uncharacteristically non-Gabriella. She wanted to take a risk. And she wanted to take a risk with him. So, she said it. _

_And he agreed. But he evidently had no idea what he was agreeing to. _

"_I wanna take a risk, Troy." It was then she realized the mere inches separating them. She took a tiny step forward, closing in that space. And then he grasped the meaning behind her words and visibly balked, moving away from her. _

_She was never again taking "no" for an answer. She reached for him again but the urgency in her movements, coupled with the alcohol in her system was not a good combination. She lost her balance. Like a regular Prince Charming, his arms were around her, keeping her from falling. She went right back to taking his shirt off. _

"_Gabriella, stop." He said as he caught her hands. With more force, he repeated, "Stop."_

_She let out a very annoyed sigh. "For one night, I just want to make my own decisions."_

_And he had an argument against that. "You're not exactly sober right now to make any sane decisions."_

_True, she was drunk. But not drunk enough not to have full control of her senses or her actions. She knew what she wanted. No, she knew what she needed. And just like Taylor suggested, she was finally doing something about it. _

_She pressed closer and tested his grip, trying to free herself. "I know what I'm doing. You have no idea how much I want this. Just one night." And many more if she had her way._

_And still, he was resisting. So she did the only thing could think of to convince him. She kissed him, clinging to his lips as if it were the nectar of the gods. Desire crystallized and heat flared when he responded. He tangled his fingers into her hair and pulled her closer, touching her in places she has only dreamt of. Moments later, he broke the kiss and touched his lips to her heated skin. She arched against him wantonly. Her pulse thundered in her ears as she watched him touch her, caressing her body. Raging desire ruled their senses, slowly melting away any reservations or hesitations._

_And yet despite returning her kisses, Gabriella knew she was fighting an uphill battle. _

_

* * *

_

There's sort of a lot of back story to the TG friendship and Gabriella's thoughts about it in this chapter but as I re-read Chapter 4, I felt like there was sort of this urgency and no build up in the emotional sense of their coupling. Last chapter sort of gave an insight on Troy's feelings and Chapter 5 is Gabriella's side.

Someone asked, why, if Troy and Gabriella love each other and it is so blatant to others but not themselves, why can't they see it? Really, the only answer I can give is, subconsciously, Troy and Gabriella know that they have feelings for each other, they feel it, they know that they are more than _just _best friends, but they just aren't ready to admit it because they fear that it might ruin twenty some years of friendship. It isn't only until something major happens that takes away the possibility of their future that they begin to act on those feelings. I know its cliché and trite but I hope that helps you understand these characters and why they do what they do in the following chapters.

**Sorry for the long author's note. **

Reviews/criticisms are always appreciated.


	6. Presentiment

_AN_: Again, thank you for reviewing. And **Sixteen Over Pi **(I'm sorry, I don't know your name), thanks for the criticisms, I'm really trying to improve on my tenses and the 'could' and 'cannot'. And as for the plot being cliché, I do agree but thanks for the vote of confidence. I hope I don't disappoint.

**I'm sorry **this took so long. The muse has left me and the holidays were just too hectic to find time to even write anything. I wrote this today during my break at work since it was the only time I could find to actually write so I'm sure its littered with mistakes. Truthfully, this has got to be the hardest chapter I ever wrote just because I have no idea of how to continue since I deviated from my original plan. So now, I'm sort of scrambling to come up with something that will still sort of have some semblance of how I originally planned this story. I know, this isn't exactly what you need and want to hear from me but bear with me while I try and make sense of things and concoct a plotline to finish this story off.

Again, since some are confused, the very first chapter to _Running to a Stand Still_ is a flash-forward of sorts, occurring two months **after **the events in the second chapter.

I apologize for any grammatical errors or changes in tenses.

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing.

* * *

_"No matter how badly your heart is broken, the world does not stop for your grief."_

**Presentiment**

Her heart was beating faster. She can feel the heat in her cheeks as she heard him ask, "Are you sure?"

Her body was already tight, muscles rigid with desire and anticipation for more. And if this was indeed her last, she'd take it. She'd never wanted anyone in her entire lifetime and it was not just lust that coursed through her as she answered. She loved him. It was selfish of her to be here with Troy when her future was in such a disarray but for once, she was doing something for herself. Not because it was something her parents wanted. Or because her friends hinted at it. She was doing this for herself.

"I've never been more sure in my entire life." She was absolutely certain she couldn't even bear it. He studied her profile - saw the truth in her eyes and fully gave in. And kissed her. For long moments, he did nothing more. Just kissed her and savored the feel of her lips and the sultry sounds of pleasure she made. She sank into his kisses, welcomed all the intense emotions he brought with every caress and every kiss.

Bodies devoid of any clothing, skin to skin, the soft mounds of her breast pressed to his chest, desire flared and everything else just drifted away. It was just him and her. No interfering families. No prying friends. No arranged marriages. Just Troy and Gabriella. And for the first time in her life, she truly felt happy. Fulfilled.

As his strong hands closed in on the apex of her thighs, her breath hitched. Brown met blue. And there was no hesitation when he lowered himself in her. No hesitation when he moved his hips against hers. Her eyes widened as he entered her, slowly, gratifyingly, inch by inch pushing in, stretching her. When he drew back, she smiled. Lifting her arms, she draped them over his broad shoulders and rocked her hips to meet his, locking her feet around his waist for more support. He felt the shudder of desire that racked her in his bones. Before the wave of her climax came crashing down.

Her fractured, "Troy!" shivered in the air. She lost all her senses - lost all touch with reality as she was swept up with the magnitude of their coupling. Her whole body felt so alive. So real. And when the bliss slowly subsided, her heightened senses solely focused on him.

Her lips shifted on his, caressed and reassured him.

"I love you," she ardently whispered.

And for one long night, Troy and Gabriella just existed, stirring up a connection that has long since been there between them. Everything was quiet except for the silent yet varied moans of pleasure from the two of them. The air was still and tranquil as their bodies met. But as the old adage claimed, on that one fateful night where their feelings were awakened and realized, it was only the calm before the brewing storm.

~.~.~

The dilemma she had woken up to that morning was enough to give her a headache. Gabriella stared at the bed, with a very naked male sleeping on it, feeling worn out. And tired. And confused.

She had woken minutes before and the second reality came crashing down, despite getting a full night's sleep, she was already exhausted. From overanalyzing every single detail that happened last night. From fretting over the ramifications of her actions. All she knew was that she slept with her best friend while currently engaged to another man. Technically, does that mean that she just cheated on Julian? But if she wasn't even a willing participant in the engagement, it wouldn't really be considered cheating. Or would it? And with thoughts like those, everything just snowballed from one problem to the next. And before she knew it, she had one massive headache. Add to that a jumbled mess of emotions that ranged from happiness to fear. And heaven knew what else.

Gabriella was jolted out of her dismal thoughts when a car alarm went off outside Troy's apartment building. For a second, she was scared that Troy might wake up. But he just laid there, asleep and with a peaceful expression on his face. She was not sure if she was thankful that he didn't awaken. A part of her wanted to get it over with. To confront him and sort out this mess that she found herself in. The other, the more cowardly part, wanted to run away. And deal with Troy later. She contemplated the pros and cons of what to do next. And just when she was about to wake him up, at the corner of her eye, she saw her Blackberry vibrating on his carpet floor. Silently, she padded to the corner of his bed and picked it up. And frowned at what she saw.

30 missed calls. 17 new voicemails.

Rethinking her decision, she settled for just talking to Troy later that day. Maybe a few hours away from him and everyone else can clear her head and allow her to think straight. And maybe even find a way out of this mess. Grabbing the notepad she knew Troy always kept on his side table, she contemplated what she should write.

_Last night was great. _

She crumpled that paper faster than she wrote it.

_We need to talk. About last night. _

No, too formal.

_About last night, I was drunk and_

Nope, using the drunk excuse won't fly since they both they she was completely sober when she said yes. Her body may have felt the affects of the alcohol but she was wholly in control of her faculties when she reassured Troy that being with him was what she wanted. It definitely was not the alcohol talking.

_Last night's turn of events was quite a surprise wasn't it?_

Another paper thrown in the trash bin. She bit her lip and stared dejectedly at the notepad. And decided for the truth when she saw the time on his bedside clock.

_I'm sorry for not waking you and leaving so abruptly. Emergency meeting at Frange's. Dinner later?_

_Love, Gabriella._

Succinct and straight to the point. And with another glance at the clock and at the still sleeping Troy, she dressed and made her way out of his apartment, optimistic that she can deal with the mess her father thrust her in.

~.~.~

It started innocently enough. Cancelled dinner dates because of late business meetings. Missed coffee dates because of some work-related emergency. Then gradually, nerves came into play. Soon, three days had passed them by and still Troy and Gabriella had not talked about what had transpired between the two of them. He had the perfect chance to talk to her today but at the last minute, he backed out of another one of their planned dinner dates and found himself in Zeke's kitchen. Troy had always found a certain degree of comfort in talking it out with him. He was close to all the guys in their little group, most especially Chad, knowing him the longest and all but there was something about unburdening his problems to Zeke that made it all the better.

"You realize, this is not how I had intended to spend my night."

Troy acknowledged Zeke's declaration with only a nod. His friend sighed and busied himself in his kitchen, putting together what would eventually be another one of his magnificent desserts.

"Something happened with Gabriella?" he asked, making a point of not looking at Troy when he said that. And just like that, Zeke hit the nail right in the head.

"Am I really that transparent?"

"No," came Zeke's fast reply. But upon seeing the skeptical expression on Troy's face he elaborated, "It's not unusual for any of us to not talk to each other for days. All of us are so busy but if by the end of the week, you and Gabriella are still not speaking to each other, let alone seen in the same room, the others will obviously take notice."

Troy frowned. "Then how did you figure it out?"

Zeke grinned. "You're haunting my kitchen."

"How is that related to me and Gabriella?" he asked, looking bewilderedly at Zeke.

Still whisking his cake batter, Zeke didn't bother to look at Troy to see the perplexed expression on his friend's face. He explained, "Back in high school, when Gabi had her very first serious relationship, you were in this kitchen for weeks, moping and sulking. When Gabi started dating Matthew and most recently Julian, I knew I could always find you here."

Zeke shrugged. "It's been awhile since you came by with that melancholy expression on your face. So when you came in today, with that pensive look on your face, I figured that it can only be two things: either Gabi's dating a new guy or you both professed your undying love for each other and are skirting around the issue." With a grin he continued, "And seeing as the former is more possible than the latter, then a new guy must be in the picture, thus, here you are, haunting my kitchen. Am I right? "

Troy watched Zeke and wondered how much he can truly divulge. Fifteen minutes later, he told Zeke everything, even down to the events of that fateful night with Gabriella and the subsequent days where he avoided her because of this irrational fear that has been nagging him. And in a typical Zeke fashion, he didn't judge. He didn't lecture. He didn't even bat an eye when Troy told him that Gabriella wasn't fully sober that night. He just simply understood. And when Troy finished his story, he only said three words, as if those three words were the answer to all of Troy's problems.

"You love her."

Troy smiled and for the first time acknowledged what he was sure most of his friends have already figured out. "I do."

He loved her. For how long, he didn't know. But he loved her. He thought of his associates and other friends who saw love as something pathetic, something for the weak. Most of them were cynics, thinking of marriage only as a chore, a means to an end in a society where money ruled all. But love existed.

"Then what are you doing here?" Zeke asked, stating the obvious. And Troy thought the same thing. What the hell was he doing, avoiding Gabriella of all people?

He could only give Zeke a sheepish grin.

"Too late to visit her now. Might as well stay for some Vanilla Mousse Meringue…"

So he stayed. Troy was never one to turn down free food.

~.~.~

A lot can happen in three days. In Manhattan's fast paced lifestyle, three days were an eternity for its inhabitants. It was enough for one company to consolidate another. It was enough for a once budding socialite to fall from grace at a moment's notice. A lot can happen in three days. But for Gabriella, time stood still. She went through the motions of going to work but outside of that, everything was at a stand still. Nothing went forward and at times, she felt that her life was just moving backwards. She avoided her family and her friends much to their increasing worry as indicative of their distressed messages left in her phone. The one person she didn't avoid, on the other hand, well, he avoided her. It started innocently enough, she was sure. They both lived a very busy and hectic life but after three days of cancellations, she got the feeling that he was avoiding her. And it hurt. Troy has always been the kind of guy who can always find time in his schedule whenever she needed to talk to him. Despite having a day filled with countless business meetings and appointments, whenever she called, he can always squeeze in even an hour just to see her. It was naïve of her to think that nothing will change in their relationship after what happened that one night. That maybe, after she figured out how to take herself out of an unwanted marriage planned by her dear father, her and Troy can go forward, not just as best friends but as something more. But apparently, she was dead wrong.

Clearly, being wrong these days was common for Gabriella. Like when she thought that instructing - some might even construe it as a command, her secretary to let no one in her office. No one bar Troy. Was that so hard?

"Gabriella?" Maria Montez hesitantly asked as she peered at the door into her daughter's office. And then again, more pronounced this time - "Gabi?"

Quietly entering the room, she didn't wait for her daughter to speak up. Just sat on the plush chair facing the desk, keeping a respectful distance from Gabriella and said, "I left you quite a few messages. I was worried."

Gabriella's gaze remained fixed on her computer, pretending that she was preoccupied with work when they both knew that she was just faking it and thinking of ways to get back at her meddlesome twenty year old secretary, Chelsea.

"You have to talk to us sometime."

She continued to stare blankly at her computer screen.

"I know what your father did was stupid and wrong on so many levels but you really need to talk to him."

"Why? Is it time to start making wedding plans now?" Gabriella said briskly. Sarcasm rang in her voice.

Maria's expression grew confused, then concerned as she look at her daughter. "Like your father said, your engagement to Julian is not set in stone. It's _your_ choice. You don't have to go through with it."

She stayed silent, feeling like she had a lot to say but no words came out.

"Your father showed me that _New York Magazine _article."

Gabriella knew exactly what article her mother was referring to. Written by Martina Hayden, it was a rave review of her very first gallery opening. But that wasn't what got people talking. It was the picture of her and Troy right smack dab in the middle of the editorial page that got gossipmongers buzzing and wondering if there was indeed something more between the two of them. A week ago, she would have scoffed and denied any romantic relationship she had with Troy. But now, she was not sure if she could blatantly lie, not when flitting vivid images of that night popped in her mind.

"You love him."

It wasn't a question. But she answered anyway. "I do."

Maria reached across the table and grasped Gabriella's hand with both of her own, squeezing tightly. "Then everything will be okay in the end. You have to believe that."

Gabriella wished she could share her mother's confidence, wanted to embrace her mother's optimism but deep inside, she knew that it was never going to be that easy. Not for her and Troy. But dear God, she wished it were.

* * *

Someone asked if arranged marriages still do exists? I'm sure they do. Certain religions and few countries still practice it. Inspiration for this story actually came from my bosses at work. Both came from affluent families outside of America and married due to some reason relating business, mergers and such. So yeah, marriage of convenience still do happen in some parts of the world.

Reviews/criticisms are much appreciated. Again, sorry for the long wait.


	7. Predicament

_AN:_ As always, I am extremely grateful for all the reviews. First time reaching a hundred reviews and its quite mind boggling really. **THANK YOU**!

Also, many of you have been wondering why Gabriella still married Julian despite everything and as much as I wanna say you'll get your answer with this chapter, you have to wait a chapter or two longer. And I'm hoping that the new twist is not that predictable or anything…

To **theTwilightLamb**, _Running to a Stand Still _is going to be around twelve to fifteen chapters long, so we're definitely reaching the climax of the story.

And to **Sixteen Over Pi**, no worries. The smut ends with the _Presentiment_ chapter. In a way, it all goes downhill from here. I did have reservations adding in that beginning scene in the last chapter since, as you pointed out, the last three chapters has had sexual smut but I figured, since it is pretty much the last TG-smut scene you guys will be getting in a very long while, I thought, what the hell.

Anywho, I apologize for any grammatical errors or changes in tenses.

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing.

* * *

"_There is always some madness in love…"_

**Predicament**

Dealing with men, Gabriella decided, was an excruciating and exhausting experience. She's never been one to naively think that she had the men in her life figured out. In fact, just when she thought she did, they would turn around and surprise her. So, in time she learned to expect the unexpected when it came to dealing with them. For the most part, it worked. But nothing ever prepared her for her father's bombshell of a confession and her best friend's avoidance. The former was understandable. Telling your daughter that she was sort-of- engaged-but-not was really not something you hear everyday. The latter on the other hand, well, she never pegged Troy as a coward. But it seemed she was wrong on that score. Because after three days of blatantly ignoring her, she was past the hurt and had moved onto anger.

She was angry at Troy for ignoring her. She was angry at herself for not confronting him. She was angry at her father for making a mess of things. She was angry at the world. She was -

Her internal tirade stopped when someone patted her on the back.

"_What_?" The second the rude statement left her mouth, she felt bad. Just because the men in her life infuriated her to no end, it didn't mean that she had to take it out on some poor soul.

"Julian?", she asked when she realized who it was.

"You don't look very happy to see me, babe." He said, flashing his pearly white teeth as he grinned at her. She would be lying if she said that the devilish grin of his didn't affect her. This was Julian Rutherford, after all. New York's most notorious bachelor. He was way _too_ everything, which might explain his appeal. He was way too handsome. Way too sexy for his own good. Everything about him just screamed sex. His glistening jet black hair fell over his forehead in lazy waves and back when they were seriously dating, she loved running her fingers through his hair.

"Our fathers were just here," she explained.

The dimple in his cheek deepened. "Ah, that explains that frown in your face."

She came forward to give him a hug. "I'm surprised it took you this long to talk to me."

"About our 'engagement', you mean? Well, you're Gabriella."

Her brows furrowed. "What does _that _mean?"

"You hate it when people smother you. You hate it when people try to help you and tell you how you should feel when even you don't even know what you're feeling." He shrugged, as if he was just telling her something nonsensical like the weather. "That's why I stayed away. To give you space."

Gabriella looked at Julian and wondered. But no, Julian, in love with her? No? No. Definitely not.

The look on Gabriella's face made Julian pause. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

She shook her head. "After all these years, you still surprise me."

"Why? Because I know who you are?"

"No, because you _actually_ care."

His thick eyebrows arched expressively over his twinkling brown eyes. "What? Did you think that all those years I've been with you, I was just in it for the occasional booty call?"

"Well, if we were living 18th century England," her hand waved as she indicated at the extravagantly furnished ballroom that was once an empty gallery space, "people would call you a notorious rake. You were always the perpetual bachelor."

"_Ah_. But I'm a notorious rake who isn't afraid of commitment. I mean, we could have lasted, you know."

Rattled by another surprise, Gabriella shifted. "Is that why you're not freaking out about this whole marriage thing? Because you're okay with getting married to me?"

"Like you said, I'm a polygamous bachelor. I can't deny that. But if I'm gonna be strapped with the ol' ball and chain, there's no one else who I'd rather be married to."

"I -" What do you say to that? But he never gave her the chance.

"But I always knew I never had a chance. It's hard competing with Troy."

"Troy and I -"

He didn't have qualms about interrupting what would have been another false denial that was getting old . "Spare me, Gabi. I'm not stupid."

She smiled. For the first time in three days, she genuinely smiled. "I do love you, Julian…"

With another devastating grin, he finished her statement for her, "…but just not as much as Troy. I know. But I have a feeling that being your second best - it wouldn't be that bad at all cause I'll have you."

"You deserve so much better than being anyone's second best."

"Why don't you let me decide that? Why are we even talking about this? You have Troy. And I, well, I have all the willing women of New York City."

"That reminds me, how come Clyde thinks you're gay?", she asked while they started to stroll about the place, nodding and smiling occassionally when they saw someone they knew.

"Experimented once in college. This really bangin' chick at the bar wanted to, hmm... how best to explain this? Have both holes -"

Grimacing, Gabriella stopped him before he got to vivid with his description. He only smiled at her interruption and continued, "Being the lucky bastard that I am, Dad got a wind of it. I told him it only happened once, and we had that girl as as buffer of sorts, but, well, its Dad. As open-minded as he is when it comes to sexuality, at times, he's so backwards with his thinking. To him, once you go gay…"

"…there's no going back," Gabriella finished. "Have you told him that your straight-straight?"

The look he gave her made her feel stupid for even asking such a question. "Of course you have… um, this may sound inappropriate but, um, have you - like, during the whole time, did you -"

"I haven't been with any man since that one time in college, Gabi."

"Oh."

Julian smirked.

"_What_? It's a logical question." She flushed.

It was nice, playfully bantering with him again. Despite that cocky and arrogant demeanor of his was a very charming man. And if she wasn't already in love with Troy, it wouldn't be hard to fall truly in love with the man currently standing in front of her. But she didn't need another boy drama when she can't even handle the one with Troy. At that thought, her Blackberry started buzzing.

**One new message**.

And when she checked the sender, she nearly scoffed. _Go figure_, she thought. _"Meet me at the rooftop tomorrow morning." _After nearly four days of no communication, he now finally decided to talk to her.

Dealing with men, Gabriella reaffirmed, was definitely an excruciating and exhausting experience. Not to mention confusing.

~.~.~

Sharpay woke up to the sound of her cell phone ringing. Still groggy from sleep, she ignored it. A few seconds later, it stopped ringing and she closed her eyes, snuggling deeper in to the covers. Just when she was about to succumb into sleep, her house phone started ringing. Glancing at the watch by her nightstand that read 7:45 am, she cursed whoever was killing so damn early in the morning and left the comfort of her bed. With her luck, it was her manager or publicist calling.

"_What?_", she rudely answered, uncaring on whoever it was on the other line.

Only it wasn't her manager. Panic was laden on the person's voice. "Did you see it?"

"Taylor?"

"Yes. Now, did you see it?" Her friend sounded oddly out of breath.

Grabbing her robe, she left her room and headed into the kitchen for a coffee and breakfast. _Might as well_, she said to herself. She eyed the pastries Zeke left the night before and grabbed a croissant.

"Did you see it?" Taylor asked again, more frantically this time around.

"See what?", she asked as she took a small bite. "Do you even know what time it is, Tay? It's not even eight yet."

"The world doesn't operate on Sharpay-time, contrary to your belief," came the snarky and brusque response.

"Geez, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

Taylor sounded smug when she said, "Pot, meet kettle."

Sharpay grinned at that. She definitely was not a morning person. Too concerned with her breakfast, she barely heard the rest of what Taylor was saying. "…the gossip section of your newspaper."

Rolling her eyes, she picked up her morning paper and browsed through it. "What exactly am I suppose to be looking for, Tay?"

"Oh, you'll know when you see it."

"I was just disturbed from my beauty sleep remember. Just tell me what the - oh, _fuck_."

Taylor said softly, "Yeah, exactly what I said."

"_Everyone_ in Manhattan has seen this by now."

"What do we do, Shar?"

Her breakfast forgotten, she perused the rest of the article. "I don't know, why are you asking me? Have you called her yet?"

"She's not answering her phone," her tone more disgruntled.

"Try calling her again. I'll be there in an hour." But before she could hang up the phone, Taylor cursed.

"Oh. My. God."

Sharpay heard some movement on the other line. "What?"

"It's on Hayden's blog."

Sharpay's face drained of color. Martina Hayden's blog - well, it was more like a critique of pop culture and anything 'Hollywood' was very known in the circles they ran in. "Fuck, I'll be there in twenty."

When Sharpay hung up the phone, she wondered when their lives have become this chaotic and crazy. As fast as that thought popped in her head, she laughed at herself and the absurdity of it. When it came to her group of friends, everything was infinitely more chaotic and crazy.

True to her word, Sharpay arrived at Taylor's apartment twenty minutes later. To her surprise, it wasn't just Taylor who greeted her but the rest of the gang, bar Troy and Gabriella, sitting suspiciously in the living room.

"I knew it", Chad proclaimed at seeing Sharpay, one hand pointed accusedly at her. "You guys do know something."

Sharpay and Taylor shared a quick glance before asserting their innocence. None of the guys bought it.

Ryan stood by the fireplace, his Blackberry on his hand and a coffee with another. No surprise there, her brother lived and breathed coffee and his dear Blackberry. "Give it up, sis. What do you know?"

"It's really not our place to say…" Sharpay winced a the squeak in her voice. She tried to adopt an angelic and innocent facial expression, widening her eyes but the glare in their eyes made her stop and sigh.

"Too late for that don't you think? It's already over the internet and those damn tabloids." Chad stated.

"Does he know?" Ryan, the ever rational one, asked.

Both women shook their heads.

Taylor optimistically pointed out, "You know, there is a chance that Troy hasn't seen it yet. And even if he has already seen it, he hasn't called any of us and we all know by now that you can't believe everything you read in the tabloids."

"That's true. It's not like he's the biggest fan of Page Six or other gossip blogs." Sharpay agreed.

Chad snorted. "Yeah, let's just ignore the rest of Manhattan's residents who will be clamoring to ask Troy about his take on it the second he steps out of his front door."

SMACK.

"Shit, woman." Chard cursed, glaring at Sharpay.

"Your sarcasm isn't helping."

For the first time that morning, Zeke spoke. "He wouldn't call any of us."

Four different pairs of eyes stared confusedly at him. He elaborated, "He'll call her first."

"That's good." Seeing her boyfriend's expression, Sharpay asked, "Right?"

Zeke explained. "This is Troy we're talking about. He doesn't exactly think things through."

Silence filled the room. They have been friends with Troy long enough to know how he reacted in situations like these. At times, his emotions got the better of him. He got irrational. And when Troy got irrational, the result was never good.

"Shit."

"You can say that again."

"Let's just all calm down alright?" Looking pointedly at his sister and Taylor, Ryan asked, "Now, tell us everything you know."

Sharpay and Taylor looked apprehensively at each other and then began their tale.

"You see, it all started with Gabriella's uncle…"

~.~.~

**Confessions… and just plain gibberish: **a Blog by Martina Hayden

_Just when you thought…_

It only seemed like yesterday that I wrote about Gabriella Montez and her very first gallery opening. Two weeks and several more other art-related events later, I was back to that opulent space in Frange Gallery. Gone were the dark and chaotic tone that showcased the negativity that represented one facet of contemporary life. Instead, the space was now converted to a Victorian ballroom that was so exquisitely done that any guest would feel like there were transported back in 18th century England.

But it wasn't the lavish paintings - as amazing and well-crafted as they may be - that got people talking. It was the gallery director herself that was the center of attention. Her and the handsomely debonair man at her side. Before, I noted that she looked quite cozy in the arms of Troy Bolton but it seemed the two only share a platonic friendship. Because at last night's event, Julian Rutherford - yes, that Julian Rutherford, heir to the multi-billion dollar Harrison Steel Corporation, was at her side. (It should be said that Bolton himself was nowhere to be seen). The couple looked quite lovey-dovey as they strolled about the room, socializing with guests. At one point, the two slipped out of the room. Maybe for a little R&R, perhaps? A friend to the couple divulged that the two have been dating on and off for several years now. And the past few months have signaled a turn in their relationship - one that might lead to marriage. So, to the happy couple, Congrats. May your rumored engagement last longer than Britney's quickie marriage in Las Vegas.

Hayden used her brains and hit the keys on June 21, Saturday, 02:30 am

* * *

I'm sorry this took so long. Had a major writer's block and it wasn't until I realized that I was about to hit the three-week mark (boy, those days just flew by) and I still have updated that I just sort of forced myself to write this. Which means that I am not 100% in love with this but it will have to do. Wrote it in an hour so it is definitely littered with mistakes.

Reviews are much appreciated.


	8. Perfidy

_AN_: I've been very remiss with replying to reader's reviews and what not but just know, every review and every PM are greatly appreciated and has definitely inspired me to continue with this. So **thank you**.

I apologize for any grammatical errors or changes in tenses.

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing.

* * *

"_For all the sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are those 'It might have been'."_

**Perfidy**

Taylor's moderately-sized kitchen bustled with activity as her three male friends distracted themselves with whatever was within their reach. Seated at the table with her steaming cup of coffee, she watched them with weary resignation. Beside her, Sharpay had a similar expression on her face.

Zeke stood in front of the stove, making breakfast. Without turning, he said, "So let me get this straight, she's not engaged."

"Technically, no." Sharpay, his girlfriend of one year, answered.

"…it's more like an open engagement. If she says yes, then a wedding is on. If she says no, then it like the whole thing never really happened. But since both of em' haven't exactly said anything, the engagement, in a sense, is in limbo." Taylor finished.

From his place at the head of the table, Chad piped in, "And he doesn't know? He would usually be the first person she tells."

Zeke stopped whatever he was doing and frowned at them over his well-muscled shoulder. "When did you say she find out about her father's arrangement?"

"Does it really matter?" asked Ryan, not seeing how knowing the date will help them figure out how solve this.

Turning off the stove, Zeke ignored Ryan and turned to stare at Sharpay. "When?"

"Ah… I don't know… a few days ago."

"Was it the night you took her out to the clubs?"

Taylor and Sharpay looked at each other before looking at Zeke questioningly, "How did… How'd you know about that?"

Before the girls could get an answer, they heard the front door open. Seconds later and in came Troy. Seeing all of them, his blue eyes sparkled in amusement. "Figured you guys would be here. Secret club meeting that I wasn't invited to?"

The kitchen went suddenly quiet and Troy, more occupied with his Blackberry that started ringing, suddenly realized all his friends were looking at him. "_What_? You guys look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Nothing", they all simultaneously said in varying degrees of shock and wariness.

"Oookay." He shrugged, not at all bewildered by his friend's attitude. "Well, I just came by to get the papers I needed from Chad."

Said man sat straighter on his chair. He cleared his throat and pointed towards the living room, "Its in my brief case, man."

Tucking his phone in his pocket, Troy nodded, thanked Chad and walked towards the living area.

Five pairs of eyes followed Troy as he left the vicinity of the kitchen. Once they were sure that he was out of hearing range, they collectively breathed in a sigh of relief.

Taylor leaned in closer and whispered, "What do we do now?"

"What -" Chad began but with a smack from Sharpay, he too lowered his voice, "What do you mean, what do we do? Of course we need to tell him."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," said Ryan.

Zeke nodded. "It's not our business to tell him."

Rolling her eyes, Sharpay looked at all of them. "This is on the front page of every gossip magazine. I'd say that makes it _our_ business to tell him."

"_Shit_."

"What now Chad?" an exasperated Taylor asked.

"Fuck, I brought _Page Six_ with me."

"So?"

Panicked, Chad shot off his chair. "So, I brought it with me. _Inside. My. Briefcase_. What if he sees it and storms out -"

As if on cue, that was when the front door slammed. Seeing as Ryan was the nearest to the hallway, he cautiously walked towards the living room and came back only seconds later.

"He's gone."

Taylor slumped onto the chair. Sharpay sighed. And Zeke, well, he did what calmed him the most, he quietly went back to cooking.

"Well, I guess we don't have to worry about whether or not we are going to personally tell him." Chad said, trying to make light of the situation.

No smart ass remark from Sharpay. No glare from Taylor. Not even an ounce of reaction from either Zeke or Ryan. Silence was Chad's only response.

~.~.~

There was only a thin line between love and hate.

He had heard that saying a million times in his short lifetime. But he never understood what it actually meant. He often questioned those who believed the saying. Because for Troy Bolton, he cannot, for the life of him, fathom how a person can go from loving another and then hating them at a snap of a finger. It seemed like such an impossible feat to him. What he did not know was that it would only take a damn piece of paper to make him understand that there truly was only a very fine line that separated love and hate.

"Where to, Sir?"

Barely acknowledging his chauffer, John's question, he took out the newspaper and stared intensely at the picture accompanying the headline. She looked very happy, standing next to him.

"Sir?"

"Huh?" he muttered.

Seeing his employer's distraction, John inquired, "Everything alright, Sir?"

Troy looked up and meet the curious gaze of John. Bluntly, he answered, "No."

John was at a loss for words. He had been in Troy's employ ever since the man was in his early teens. He had watched the man grow up and usually, no matter how bad Troy's day had been, whenever he asked him the complimentary "Everything alright, Sir?", he would always get the typical grunt and a "Yeah." So for him to get a "No", well, then, something major must have happened.

"Back to work?"

"No. Drive me to her apartment. I have more pressing business to take care of."

~.~.~

"Oh… ah huh. Yeah, that's fine… kay. Thanks."

Placing the phone back on its cradle, Taylor shook her head. "She's not there either."

"I just called Chelsea. Gabriella's not suppose to be at her office until later this afternoon." Sharpay said as she crossed off another person on her list.

Still huddled in Taylor's kitchen, the gang decided that it would be best if they warn Gabriella that Troy was coming. And that he knew about her fake engagement. Unfortunately, for them, it seemed Gabriella, along with Troy, vanished off the face of the planet. Both didn't answer their cell phones. Or their home phones. Both were not at work or any other place that the gang normally frequented in their spare times. All of them had no luck finding their two friends.

Sipping his coffee, Ryan took a glance at the list his sister made and frowned. "Shouldn't we call Julian?"

Sharpay directed her brother with an anguished look. "Why?"

"It wouldn't hurt calling him, Shar."

The others agreed.

"Fine." Sharpay grabbed her phone and dialed in his number. A few rings later, he answered. "Hey, its Sharpay. Have you seen Gabriella?"

She listened for a moment, then frowned. "Yup, we saw. You have nothing to do with it right?"

The gang heard as Julian loudly exclaimed, "_Of course not_."

"Geez, calm down. I'm just making sure. Well, if you hear from Gabi, give us a call."

Whatever Julian said in reply got Sharpay smiling. "Okay, by -" She stared at her phone for a second and incredulously announced, "He hung up on me. No one's done that before."

Chad gave her a teasing look. "Why don't I believe that?"

Sharpay, in an unlady-like fashion, snorted. "You're the one to talk. I'm sure you've been on the receiving end of many…"

And so it went as Chad and Sharpay bantered with one another as the three looked on. The friendship between all seven of them has always fascinated others. They argued more often than not, yet none of them ever seemed to get angry, even when whatever the other said hit right close to home. They all have very different characters. Very different hobbies. But somehow, despite their clashing personalities, they managed to make it work.

A plate of French toast appeared in front of Taylor. She sent him a grateful glance.

"You guys want anything else?" Zeke asked.

Both Ryan and Taylor shook their heads.

Forking some more eggs onto his plate, Ryan asked, "How can you be so calm?"

"Cooking relaxes me. And besides, this is Troy and Gabriella. They may be both stubborn to the core but they love each other, we all know that. They owe it to themselves to at least work it out."

Taylor dropped her fork onto the plate. "The real question is, are they actually going to take the time and listen to each other?"

As Ryan watched his sister make another verbal snipe at Chad, he quoted a line from a play he did a while back, "With bated breath, we wait…"

~.~.~

When Troy saw her, standing near the edge of her building's rooftop, his first thought was - _It couldn't be true. _

She was looking down on the street with a pensive look on her face and Troy was immediately reminded of the many times they've sat at the ledge of this very rooftop, talking late at night, watching and laughing as drunken individuals walked the streets below at the wee hours of the morning. He was reminded of the countless of times they've danced to her neighbor's music, seemingly lost in their own world. It seemed so easy back then. So uncomplicated.

He took an unconscious step forward, and she must have heard the sound of his feet stepping on the gravel for she turned. He froze. He didn't know how to react when so many violent emotions were raging deep inside him.

She smiled, sincerely happy to see him but instead of comforting him, it only made him angrier. "Hey, stranger. It's been a while since I last saw you. How'd you been?"

Her smile reminded him of that night. The night where everything changed for the two of them. He wasn't quite sure how it had happened. How he could have let it continue as it did. But he remembered. Every last fucking detail. The way she was looking at him, like she was now, with adoration in her eyes. The way she clutched onto him tightly, not wanting to let go. He has been in love with her for years now. But not once did he ever imagine of making a move, of turning their friendship into something more. He didn't know why he let the events of that night transpire. But there was that one moment - that one inscrutable moment - where he realized what he truly wanted. Her.

That night, she had a similar look on her face as she did now, a pensive, melancholy look as she gazed up at him. And then… somehow, she was closer. He didn't recall moving, nor did he recall her moving but suddenly, she was just a few inches away. And the next thing he knew, she was kissing him. And from that moment on, everything just faded. Now… now he wondered if that night was simply a huge mistake.

He straightened his shoulders. Troy was never one for skirting around the issue. "When were you planning on telling me that you're engaged?"

Her brown eyes widened and her lips parted. "Wha - Where did you hear that?", she asked, genuinely surprised.

She didn't deny it. "So it's true."

For one brief moment, it seemed like she didn't know how to react. "No. It's complicated."

"Really, because the way I see it, its either, you're engaged or you're not. Seems pretty simple to me."

"There's more to it than that. And where -"

Her confirmation hit him like a ton of bricks. To think that merely a few days ago, he was envisioning a possible future of the two of them and now, it was like someone pulled the rug right from under him. And then it was as if nothing - that night, their decades-long friendship - didn't happen. They were arguing like they have never argued before. "Does it fucking matter where I heard it from? The point is you lied to me, Gabriella."

At that accusation, she snapped. "I lied to you?" she scoffed, "I lied to you? For that to happen, I first need to talk to you. And since you've been such a fucking coward and have avoided me for the past few days, then how can I lie, Troy?

He spat out the word, "Coward?"

In a deadpan tone, Gabriella said, "Yes, a coward."

At her accusation, Troy's spine stiffened. "I wasn't the one who left so early in the morning."

"I had work goddamnit."

"Gawd, I should have known it was the alcohol talking. I should never have taken - "

Gabriella narrowed her eyes and thinned her lips. "Don't you dare. I wasn't drunk and you know it. Don't blame the alcohol and make it seem as if I'm the victim here. You and I both knew what exactly we were doing."

"Oh, so what was I? You're last hoorah before committing yourself to just one man? Is that why you went drinking that night? To celebrate your engagement?"

_Far from it_, she thought. "No. If you would just calm down", she said, trying to reason with him, "I can explain all this, Troy."

An object landed at her feet. _Page Six_.

"Explain? Don't bother." Troy said with a low growl in his voice. Just looking at that damn paper hurt like hell.

She picked up the newspaper and the unfolded it. The bold front-page headline read: _It's Semi-Official: Wedding Bells for Rutherford and Montez. _She winced when she saw the accompanying picture of her and Julian at last weekend's gallery show. She starred at the grainy photo, then at the small print wrapped around the frame. Gabriella felt her throat tightening. "You can't believe everything you read, especially these damn tabloids."

"It's not what I read… its what I saw," In a grim voice, Troy added, "A picture says a thousand words."

"We have pictures of the two of us in a similar position."

"Yeah, big difference is, we're not dating."

"That night…"

"…meant nothing," he finished, cutting her off. He didn't know where all the anger was coming from but before he could think things through, he was spewing out words he knew he would regret later. But for some unexplainable and irrational reason, he wanted to hurt her, like she hurt him.

It couldn't be true. He was just lying, Gabriella told herself. That night… that night meant the world to her.

"You're lying," she said, the words burning in her throat.

Troy chuckled bitterly. "That's the second time today you've accused me of lying, Gabriella."

To her, Troy was many things, but he was not a liar. She shook her head and looked directly into his eyes. He seemed so different to her. So angry and full of hate.

He gave her a level stare and repeated, with more force this time, as if he was trying to convince himself that his words were true. "It meant nothing."

She took a step back as if his words caused her physical pain. And maybe it did. But he was pass caring. He tried not to think of her pain stricken face. He tried not to think of what that meant. All he can think of was getting the hell out of there. Away from her.

"And don't worry, I won't tell your fiancé," he made a face at saying the last word, obvious scorn and disdain on his voice, "about your little indiscretion."

Without another glance, he then stormed out of the rooftop. At the back of his mind, he knew something was not right. But for the life of him, instead of taking the time to think things through and calmly discuss it, he allowed his emotions get the best of him.

Gabriella Montez was never one for shedding tears. She never saw the point. When her grandfather died, not one tear was shed. When her first boyfriend broke her heart, she ate some ice cream and wallowed in pain with the girls but she never shed one tear. It was not because she thought that crying was a sign of weakness, no. She didn't cry because she had always viewed it as a waste. Why waste your time crying for something that was already done and over with? She was always the kind of person who liked to look at the bright side of things, because like her grandfather always told her, 'there's always a silver lining behind every cloud.' Being sad and crying over something that you cannot change was not something she did. Fresh tears welled in her eyes and for the first time in a very long while, Gabriella Montez allowed herself to cry.

* * *

I've been debating on whether or not I should say anything but like my Mama always told me, 'Honesty is the best policy'. My passion for anything HSM is slowly fading. In fact, its actually long gone. I figured it would eventually fade and I guess it finally did, especially when the franchise ended. And this poses a problem since the inspiration for my stories is, for the most part, driven by my passion for this couple, both in real life and fictional. Having said that, **I will finish this story **because as a reader, I always hated it when authors just leave everyone hanging. But this, along with _Missing Pieces_, will most likely be my last. I have another story that I've already started which is the redux to _Collide_ but at the rate its currently going, I don't want to post anything new since I might not be able to finish it.

I'm working two jobs at the moment, in addition to going to school full-time, not to mention all the other things in my life that is going on so updates will most likely come every two weeks at most. There's about six to seven chapters left and the good thing, I've finally mapped out how the rest of the story will go so its just really a matter of writing them. I try to not force myself into writing just for the sake of updating in a flash since I always feel like my update will be a piece of crap if I do so. So I'm apologizing now if most of you get impatient with the lack of updates.

As always, reviews are much appreciated.


	9. Pain

_AN:_ Thank for all the kind and encouraging reviews. Like I promised, I will finish this story. This took longer than expected since I had to catch up on 6 weeks of homework for my Law class. It was not an easy feat, I tell ya. And it didn't help that when I did finish this chapter, FF won't let me log in.

On that note, omigod, Zan at the Oscars, no words. From the red carpet to the after party, everything was thud-worthy and heart-stops-a-beat amazing.

I apologize for any grammatical mistakes or changes in tenses.

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing.

* * *

"_Love is like falling down... in the end you're left hurt, scarred, and with a memory of it forever."_

**Pain**

He felt restless.

All should be well in his world yet he felt restless. He was a part of a thriving multi-billion dollar steel corporation that kept him occupied during the day. He had his pick of any woman that he wanted. He was comfortable with every aspect of his life. He was happy. At peace - and yet, completely dissatisfied at the same time.

Looking over the many contracts that littered his birch office table, Julian smiled upon glimpsing the only picture frame he kept in his home office. By the desk lamp, he grabbed the object and traced its glossy surface. It was a picture of himself at one of his family's many dinners taken months ago, one arm over his dad's shoulder while the other was wrapped around Gabriella's waist. Beside them was his mother, holding tightly to both his older brother James and his brother-in-law, Mike. Staring at the picture and seeing everyone's smiling faces, even his own - genuine and happy, he truly was content. Really, he was.

And yet… something in his life was missing.

His dear mother would be the first to say that it was not a thing or an object that he needed. No, to Margaret Rutherford Harrison, it was a woman. He has lost count of how many times she had tried to set up him with various women, only to fail when he either wasn't entirely interested with the woman in in the first place or he would lost interest in them eventually. Sure, his mother can sure pick them. Beautiful. Poised. Graceful. But all of them were the same. They were every bit the trophy wife his own mother had been. Not that he had anything against such a woman. Judging from the relationship between his own parents, his mother was more than just a mere trophy wife to his father. They truly were fond of each other. But theirs did not start out as a love match. It was essentially a merger between two competing families who settled their dispute by marrying off their children. So for his mother, the wife that she thought he needed was either for some business gain or an accessory of sorts, someone who was the perfect wife, attending women's luncheon and hosting business parties. The world he may be living in may rejoice at such marital unions but he knew it was not what he wanted for himself. A trophy wife was not the kind of woman he wanted to spend his life with. Yet no matter how many times he told his mother that, she can never seem to get the hint. After the numerous debacles that his obstinate mother has concocted, he was now afraid to visit his childhood home for the fear this his mother will be there at the front door with another one of her 'wifely' candidates at her side. Following so many failed attempts, one would think that she would just give up but no, Margaret Rutherford Harrison was one stubborn woman. And now that his older brother was happily married, with a child on the way by means of adoption, his mother became even more persistent and she was fully prepared to use whatever means necessary to get him to the altar. Even if he was screaming and yelling along the way.

Raising his glass of brandy, he sipped and placed the picture frame back into its original spot. Before he could fully concentrate on the contract he was studying, a knock disturbed the silence in the room. A second later, Benjamin, his long time caretaker who has been with the family since Julian was just a little boy, came in.

"Sir, Gabriella is downstairs. Should I escort her up?"

Julian blinked. "Gabriella?"

"Yes, sir."

Slumped at ease at his chair, he closed the files he was working on and glanced at the clock. 11:45 pm. "Yeah, bring her up."

"I'll have the coffee ready by the fire."

"Thank you, Ben."

"Will you be needing anything else?"

He frowned and looked out the window. "It's pouring out there. Blankets… and maybe some dry clothes too."

Benjamin solemnly nodded. "She seems very distraught." He paused, clearly hesitating before saying more. "I've never seen her like this before." And with that forewarning, he nodded again and left Julian alone once more.

~.~.~

When Taylor sat down at her dining room table later that night, Sharpay, along with Ryan and Zeke were already there, grim-faced and weary, all holding onto a cup of steaming coffee.

"Any word?" was the first thing Sharpay asked the second she took a seat opposite the three.

"Still no sign of Gabi. She called in sick today, according to Chelsea." Taylor announced as she accepted the cup Zeke handed to her. She shrugged, "And I don't know about Troy. Chad is still at work, I think."

"It's like they evaporated into thin air. There's only so many places where Gabi and Troy can go." Exasperation rang in Sharpay's voice.

Ever the practical one, Ryan said, "Maybe its better that they're not here. I mean, everyone going crazy with the wedding news. The guys at the theatre pretty much accosted me at work today, trying to know if its true or not."

Grabbing a slice of cake that Zeke has baked, Taylor added, "I just hope that they are together."

Sharpay scoffed. "Why wouldn't they be? They're Troy and Gabriella. That must mean something right? This is the couple that everyone thinks will last forever. And they're not even a couple-couple yet. We're talking about the boy who missed out on his own junior prom because Gabi had measles. We're talking about the girl who stayed up all night with Troy, holding his hand, on his grandfather's deathbed. I mean, if they can't work it out…", it was a thought all of them couldn't fathom, "…they're Troy and Gabriella."

Straining her ears, Taylor head the front door open and shut. Footsteps neared and in came Chad. He placed his brief case against the door and loosened his tie. The second Sharpay saw him, she immediately asked, "Did you find him? Is he with Gabriella?"

Chad shook his head. "I managed to catch Jonathan on his way out of Troy's apartment. He said right after Troy came over this morning, he drove him to Gabriella's place. He doesn't recall how long Troy was there but he came down and… well, the word Jonathan used was livid. After that, Troy sent Jonathan home and he hasn't heard from him since." He sat next to Taylor and started picking from her plate. "I don't even know why we're so freakin' worried. I mean, they're adults right? They don't need us to babysit them."

"We know, it's just, I hate not knowing what happened. I hate being so out of the loop." Sharpay replied.

Zeke watched his girlfriend, obvious displeasure and annoyance written in her face. When the topic steered away from Troy and Gabriella and onto more mundane topics, only then did he start assessing the situation. He wondered if he should tell them. Knowing that their friends have slept together might shed some light on Troy's seemingly violent reaction towards the rumored engagement. But it was not his story to tell. And given that Gabriella and Troy had not told anyone yet only meant one thing - they weren't ready. Who was he to say anything?

It took a good number of days before Troy could build up the courage to talk to Gabriella after that night. Zeke knew that his friend had reservations. Doubts. And it was those very thoughts that Zeke couldn't dismiss. Because Troy was not the kind of man who took the time to think things through. And given that the seed of doubt had already been planted in his brain, he was sure that his friend would most likely take the easy way out. He knew that Troy loved Gabriella. Very much. But it was that fear, that doubt that will be Troy's downfall. And if he knew his friend as much as he thought he did, whatever happened with Gabriella, it definitely was not good.

~.~.~

Voices, muted, reached Julian's ears. Gabriella's melodious and soft voice was in stark contrast to Benjamin's much older and deeper voice. It appeared that she was arguing with him about something. Abruptly, the voices fell silent.

Pushing the plush chair away, he made his way to the door but before he could reach it, the door opened and Gabriella entered, drenched from head to toe. One glance at her puffy eyes revealed that she had been crying.

Deciding to overlook her distraught state, Julian asked about why she dropped by at his place this time of night. Alone. And sopping wet. She clearly did not think of using an umbrella or a rain coat on her way over. Benjamin said that she walked from her apartment instead of taking a cab. At this time of night, such excursions were dangerous for women like her. The fact that she walked alone, at night, while it was raining was so uncharacteristic of the Gabriella he knew. Which begged the question, what the hell happened to her?

It took her awhile before she answered. And as much as he wanted to press her for details, he has learned, in the years that they have dated that urging her to do something she was not ready for was surely not a good idea.

"What are you doing here, Gabriella?"

She looked at him with haunted eyes. There was compassion in his face, obvious affection tinted with concern as he looked at her - a hint of softness in his brown eyes. The way he was looking at her made her feel even worse for some reason. And he was looking at her as if… as if she was the center of his world. "Jul."

She sounded so broken, he thought. "Oh, sweetheart, come here." He said, arms wide open.

That was all the invitation she needed before she ran towards him. His arms came around her, and she leaned in, gripping firmly on his shirt as she unleashed another round of tears that surprised them both. Her body trembled with violent sobs that only made Julian's grip on hers tighter. He carefully scooped her into his arms and carried her to the nearest sofa, setting her on his lap as he allowed her to cry freely.

In his arms, for the first time that day, she felt safe. She felt better. And when her tears subsided, he titled her chin and wiped away her tears. He didn't ask. He didn't interrogate her unlike what her friends would have done. He simply held onto her. Neither of them spoke.

After awhile, he caught her looking at the newspapers that was on top of the coffee table. He tried to lighten the mood. "So, I didn't know that we're engaged," tilting his head in the direction of the paper, "We make a pretty good pair, don't -"

It took all she had not to break down again. She spent, what seemed like hours, crying. She thought she was done. But one look at the paper he was holding up before her and her body started shaking with silent sobs. Warm tears cascaded down her face and she turned her face away from him.

"Oh, Gabi, I was only joking."

In between hiccups, she answered, "It's not you." She shook her head, "This whole thing is just a mess."

He frowned. "I know. But my dad called and he said that he's talking to his lawyers to get them to give a retraction. Your dad too." He brushed away a single tear and tried to smile, "Don't worry, we'll sort this out."

_Nothing was gonna fix this, _she thought. But there was no use telling him that. Instead, she just snuggled her cheek into his warm embrace and closed her eyes, hoping for sleep to take her.

Seeing her eyes close and her breathing even out, Julian wondered, for the third time that night, what the hell happened to her. But he obviously was not getting answers tonight. So he settled for placing a soft kiss on the crown of her head and held onto her, rubbing her back in a soothing fashion.

~.~.~

The moment Julian closed the bedroom door to the guest room, Gabriella slowly opened her eyes. And stared at the ceiling.

Empty.

She felt empty. Alone. Numb. And yet, every part of her hurt.

A single tear cascaded down her cheek and she hastily brushed it away. Gabriella was tried of crying. After he left, all she did was cry. Yet more tears fell until her body racked with sobs. She didn't know how long she cried. She didn't know when Julian came in, but before she could wipe away her tears, his strong hands, ever so gentle and soothing, did it for her. She felt even more pain because despite it all, it was Troy who she wanted to comfort her. And that single realization made her sick to the stomach. Because no matter what Troy had done, no matter how much hurt he had inflicted, it felt impossible to stop loving him. Her heart is falling apart, and yet, all she wanted was to be back in Troy's arms.

"Gabriella," Julian said, trying to get her attention.

Through the blur of her tears, she could see his lips moving but she could not make out the words he was saying. Obvious concern and worry etched on his face. He looked down at her, dried some more of her tears and his eyes… his eyes were so kind.

"I don't know what happened," he said, "and I'm not gonna ask because I know how much you hate it when people pester you… but, it's going to be okay. Whatever it is that happened, it's going to be okay."

"Everything is changing," she whispered. Her cinnamon brown eyes looked up to his, searching for answers. But of course he did not have any. How could he, when he didn't even know what was going on. She didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to think of anything anymore. Not of the future. Not of Troy. "It's all changing," her voice sounded winded, "… and I can't do anything to stop it."

The clueless expression on his face made her want to cry some more. He didn't know. He didn't understand what she was feeling - this feeling of emptiness and betrayal. He didn't know what it felt to have this void inside of you and your heart left in so many broken pieces.

With a half-smile, he tried to console her, "It's going to be okay…"

She tried to hold onto that hope. That someday, the burning pain will go away. The sadness of losing someone that has never been truly hers will slowly fade away. The tears will eventually stop. And that somehow, someday, she could glue the shattered pieces of heart back together. She tried to believe the truth in Julian's comforting words. But deep inside, she knew that they were just that - words. Because Gabriella knew that it won't. It was not going to be okay.

~.~.~

"You know, if you stare at the rock long enough, there is a tiny possibility that it'll disappear."

He looked up. Julian appeared from the entrance of the tiny section of the secluded park and smiled. Troy's lips, on the other hand, pressed tight. His expression suspicious and wary.

"What are you doing here? And how did you find me?"

Early that morning, after making sure that Gabriella was still sound asleep, Julian went in search for the one guy he knew can give him some answers. Luckily, his hunch about his whereabouts had been correct. "Well, I figured you'd be here. Gabriella always talks about this place… a little piece of Central Park all to yourselves, she'd always say."

"She brought you here before?"

"Nah. But you know Gabriella, she's very descriptive and vivid in her storytelling. It makes you feel like you're actually there, right there with her."

Troy gave no comment and went back to staring at the rock, hoping that Julian would just go away. The guy, however, had other ideas. He walked casually towards Troy and took a seat beside him.

No one spoke for the longest time. Both unsure of what to say. They met, back in their college years. They had similar dispositions. Similar interests. Similar hobbies. And yet, only mere acquaintance developed between the two. An uneasy friendship at best. And when Gabriella started dating Julian right after college, that uneasy friendship between the two of them slowly dissolved into nothing more than a casual nod and wave hello when they see each other at dinners or soirees.

Breaking the silence, Troy caved in and started talking. "We were nine, I think. Our babysitters were off doing their thing, gossiping and all that so we sneaked off, found this place one afternoon. And every chance we get, we'd come here… it was the one place we could call ours."

Julian chose to ignore the affection he could see in Troy's eyes. He may have come to accept that Gabriella will never truly be his but that doesn't mean that it still doesn't hurt every now and then. He tried to relax.

He was surprised when Troy pointed at something at the corner. "See that swing set over there? That's where she got her scar on her left knee… That's the very first time I hurt her."

Julian squeezed his eyes closed and the tightness in his throat prevented him for speaking. He cleared his throat and shook his head. "You really love her, don't you?"

Troy chose to ignore that comment and instead, congratulated him on his upcoming nuptials.

Julian frowned. "It's not what you think, Troy. I -"

It was Troy's turn to frown. "Don't bother, she already told me all I needed to know."

He held Troy's gaze. "Then what the hell happened? She showed up at my doorstep, drenched like a cat, eyes puffy and so distraught."

He only shrugged his shoulders, as if he didn't care about Gabriella at all.

His lack of response infuriated Julian. He hastily stood up and looked down at Troy. Julian paused, felt the tightness in his chest as he drew in another controlled breath to calm himself down. "Whatever the hell happened between the two of you, whatever it is that you did or didn't do, as the case may be, fix it."

At Julian's accusing tone, Troy looked up and glared. "What makes you think I did anything wrong? And what makes you think I can fix it?"

"Because you're the one who broke her… and as much as I hate to admit it, you're really the only one who can fix her." He gave Troy one last sharp look, then turned and walked away.

Before he said something that he shouldn't have. Like how he thought that Troy did not deserve her.

~.~.~

"Morning, sunshine."

"Hey", she answered in a raspy voice. "I hope you don't mind that I borrowed some of your clothes."

"Nah, they look better on you anyways." Upon seeing the expression on Gabriella's face, Julian winked at her and jokingly said, "Had a rough night?"

Her lips pulled up into a crooked smile. "You could say that."

"Well, there's coffee over there. Newspaper is on the table. And I had Ben pick up some of your favorite pastries from Baylor's, it's by the counter."

It was then Gabriella noticed Julian's formal attire. "You leaving already?"

"Yup, early morning meeting about this upcoming consolidation. I'm not totally a hundred percent behind the move but it does have its benefits and if I could just have them tweak some of the stipulations in the contract, I'd say it would be a very good deal. Dad sure is excited for it."

She smiled. It may come as a surprise to many but behind his playboy reputation was a man totally dedicated to his work. "Do you mind if I -"

"Make yourself at home." The sudden chirp of his cell phone made Julian add, "And call your friends. I'm sure they're worried sick by now. Try not to tell them that I knew where you were this whole time coz' I might have promised to call them if I ever found you. Although considering you came to me, I didn't exactly break that promise, did I?"

Her smile broadened at his long-winded answer. He has always been a morning person, always chipper and jolly whereas she favored to sleep in. He finished his coffee and placed the empty mug on the kitchen sink.

Gabriella took a croissant and followed Julian as he walked towards his home office, picking up files here and there. She watched him place a bunch of manila folders in his brief case. And when he shut it close, she was waiting by the door, ready to help him put his jacket on.

He thanked her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "See you later, babe."

Leaning on the sofa, Gabriella pushed a curly tendril of her ebony locks away from her eyes. Trailing a hand over the back of his leather sofa, she called out.

One hand already on the doorknob, he turned. And raised an eyebrow.

"You said that being my second best… that it wouldn't be so bad right?"

"Yeah…I do remember saying that." He replied cautiously, unsure of where this was going.

Biting her lip, a habit that she did whenever she was nervous, she asked again, "Do you, umm… still feel the same way?"

Julian frowned. "Yes. Why?" When Gabriella didn't elaborate further, he asked, "Where are you going with this?"

Ignoring his question, she stated, "Then say yes."

"Yes to what?" Confusion evident in his facial expression.

He saw her throat work to swallow before she looked up, her big brown eyes gazing directly at him. There was a hint of desperation and longing in her eyes. "Yes to marrying me."

* * *

:Dodges the tomatoes thrown her way:

Now that I've caught up on my homeworks, updates will most likely come weekly now. There is only about four chapters left so here's to hoping to get _Running to Stand Still_ completed by the end of March.

As always, reviews are much appreciated.


	10. Pretense

_AN:_ Wow, truthfully, I love every single review I got for the last chapter. Others were mad and rightfully so, others like Alexia, just wanted this to be Julian/Gabriella pairing (and for a minute second there, I really considered that, thanks to you). But I'm still all for a Troy/Gabriella ending. That's how I wrote the last chapter and there's really only one way to end this - with Troy and Gabriella together. So rest assured, this will have a happy ending. That said, we're reaching the end, only around three or four more chapters to go, maybe five depending on how the next chapter goes.

To **mini princess93**, come to think of it, after re-reading the last couple chapters, I'd have to agree with you. To **sxcthing123**, **dancinluva20**, **emmalouisexx** and **Midnight113**, thanks for the vote of confidence. And to the rest of who you reviewed, you know who you are, big warm thank you!

I apologize for any grammatical errors or changes in tenses.

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing.

* * *

_"In most love stories, there may be some commas... but never a full stop."_

**Pretense**

"For your future help," the man stated as he threw down an envelope on the editor's table.

A moment passed. The stunned editor cautiously grabbed the enveloped and peered its contents. His eyes bulged upon seeing money and a stack of pictures in there. Surprised, it took a moment for him to respond. "I don't understand…"

"Instructions are inside. You can use some of the pictures for the gossip section, they should be getting engaged as we speak. The rest," he paused and then spoke, his voice flat and cold, "is for the upcoming wedding. I know the rules are six weeks in advance for announcements but I'm sure we can work our way around that."

The young editor just stared dumbfounded at the man standing in front of him.

Sharply, the man stated, "All will be taken care of?"

The editor could only nod.

"Good. Nice doing business with you." The larger figure turned.

"Sir, your name?," the young man called out.

"It's really none of your concern."

~.~.~

He found her at the very same spot he was just hours ago. She was sitting at the park bench, unsurprisingly alone, staring, just like he had been, at the rock right in front of her. She had the same pensive look on her face as she stared intensely at the inanimate object, as if she was searching for answers to questions he couldn't even fathom. She looked… composed. Carefully held. He had the impression that one wrong word, one careless touch and she would break.

"I had a feeling you'd be here." Troy announced, making his presence known. She continued to stare at the rock and didn't respond.

He was beginning to think that she was pointedly ignoring him until she spoke. "It's been years since I've visited this place." She laughed, the kind that made his heart melt. "Remember when you used to run away from our nannies and hide here for the rest of the afternoon. We got them in so much trouble…" her voice trailed, the sparkle in her eyes fading. "It used to be so easy back then."

"I'm sorry."

Gabriella went very still before she turned. And when she did, her beautiful cinnamon eyes looked pained.

"I'm sorry for not letting you explain. For running out on you like that. I," he paused, trying to formulate a better apology, a better explanation for this insensitive response. In the ended, he wound up repeating his those two words, "I'm sorry".

The words were out of her lips before she could stop herself. "I proposed to Julian." She passed a trembling hand over her eyes before staring at him, "An hour ago, I proposed to him."

He looked at her, and she looked at him, and they were quiet. Awkward.

He told himself to be calm. To actually listen this time around. "Okay. That's not exactly what I wanted to hear from you."

It was her turn to apologize. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I wasn't thinking," after the barest of pause, she continued, "Oh gawd, I don't know how I got into this mess."

Feeling strangely numb, Troy tried to formulate words. "Wha - You… proposed huh? You proposed to him. I'm guessing he said yes. He would be a fool not to."

She gave a tiny smile but it didn't reach her eyes. "He actually slammed the door in my face."

It was then he noticed the dark circles that underscored her eyes. He cleared his throat before he asked, "Why'd you do it, Gabriella?"

She paused but she didn't exactly hesitate, then answered, without any reservation. "You broke me."

He heard Julian's parting words as if he was right there. _"Because you're the one who broke her… and as much as I hate to admit it, you're really the only one who can fix her."_

She fixed him with those large expressive eyes of hers. And for the umpteenth time since he left her on the rooftop two nights, he cursed himself for hurting her. "_It meant nothing_", he recalled saying to her then. It was possibly the hardest words he had ever uttered. And yet, that night, it flowed so easily out of his mouth. If he was completely honest with himself, a part of him willed it to be true. It would have been easier. Being her best friend was the safe choice. And the possibility of being something more, it was a frightening concept for a man who always stayed within the lines, for a man who never took any risks. Loving Gabriella Montez was easy. Being in love with her, he was starting to find, was the hardest thing for him. Yet it was the most rewarding. With her, he felt complete. Whole.

Softly, she continued, "And its so selfish of me but after you left, Julian was there and…", he thought he saw tears in her eyes but she blinked them away, "…and for a few precious moments, he made me feel as though I actually meant something to someone. I wasn't just someone's best friend or…" Her voice faltered, and the tightness in his throat grew more pronounced.

"Gabi…"

"I could have been happy with him you know. Julian." She stated, as if he didn't know who she was referring to. "He could have made me happy. He loved me. It would have been easy to just be with him."

He was a fool to try and deny the truth in her words. Julian Rutherford was in love with her. Nausea burned in the pit of his stomach. And the thought that another man could make her happy made him angrily retort, "Then why didn't you?"

"Because I love you."

And there it was, those three simple words, laid out before them.

She continued, without taking her eyes off that damn rock, "I do. I can't help myself, I don't want anyone else."

"I love you." The words just jumbled right out of his mouth. For the longest time, he thought that he would never get a chance to tell her that. "I love you," he repeated for an added measure. It wasn't the most romantic way of declaring his love for her. He didn't have any flowers. Or chocolates. He wasn't quite sure if she had forgiven him yet for what he did that night he walked out on her. There were still a lot of things they needed to resolve. But those three words was the truth. And wasn't that all that mattered?

She tilted her head, studying him and seemingly completely unperturbed by his declaration. Not that he expected her to start jumping up and down but he did expect some sort of emotion. But she was the picture of calm as she sat there. "Why did it take so long for you to tell me?"

"The same reason that you didn't say anything," he replied and casually shrugged his shoulders, "Telling you how I felt wasn't the scary part, it was what you'll say back that scared the shit out of me."

"Did you ever think that maybe… maybe we weren't meant to be together? Because they always say, you know, that loving someone else is never suppose to be this hard. It shouldn't hurt so much. Maybe we're just better off as friends."

He tipped his head to meet her steady gaze. "Can we?"

"What?"

"After everything, you _still _think that we can remain _just _friends? You think that we can just forget that night, as if it never actually happened?"

When she didn't respond, he continued. "Because I remember everything. From the most minute details, I remember. I can close my eyes and I remember. The feel of your skin," he brought a hand to her cheek and she closed her eyes, reveling in his touch.

It only took that simple gesture to change things between them. More heated. He slowly caressed her skin, trailing one finger to her nape. His face had moved closer to hers. "The sound you make when I touch a particularly sensitive spot."

Gabriella moaned, the sound thrumming through him. "Yeah, that sound."

She didn't have to open her eyes to know that he was smirking. He sounded so pleased with himself. The deep timbre of his voice seemed to enfold her and she found herself giving in. His lips, the very same one that wrecked havoc on her body that night, touched hers. It was a peck, light and quick. But it was enough to make her limbs feel weak and tingly.

Catching her chin on one hand, he pressed a gentle kiss on her jaw. "The way your body flushed red with my touch."

Opening her eyes took effort. She looked up at him, then made a tight fist on the front of his shirt, clinging to him, making sure this was real - that he was real.

His blue eyes danced with mirth and his mouth quirked at one corner. "Did you know your blush extended all the way to…"

Troy didn't have to finish his sentence. The placement of his hand in the lower part of her stomach was enough to have her blushing. She felt her lung constrict at his touch, but she was long used to the effect he had on her body.

"Don't do that."

She blinked up at him and Troy could see the question in her eyes. "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?" Gabriella asked but she knew the answer.

He gritted his teeth and replied, "Like you want me to devour you."

She didn't bother refuting his words. But she did hesitate, for a heartbeat, he saw the wariness in her eyes, then, she lifted her lips to his. It was an invitation that he knew he could never decline.

His lips were hard, demanding. With his arms locked around, there was no drawing back. Not for him, not for her.

~.~.~

"Clyde," she said, obvious surprise in her voice as she watched him let himself in her office. "This is certainly a surprise."

"Gabriella," the older man stated in return, glancing briefly at the stack of papers on her desk. "Busy?"

She cleared her throat. "No, no. Have a seat."

Julian's father made himself comfortable on one of the many chairs that littered her office.

"So, what brings you by?", she asked.

"I had a talk with my son earlier. And I guess I just wanted to personally come by and congratulate you. You would be a great addition to the Harrison family."

Gabriella bit her lip in a nervous fashion and swallowed. "Yeah. About that… there's been a misunderstanding between your son and I."

Abruptly, his demeanor changed. Became colder, more intense and overbearing. "You're going through with the wedding," he sharply announced.

Taken back, she felt panic rising in her chest, "I'm sorry?"

His eyes turned cold. And for the first time, Gabriella caught a glimpse of the kind of man Clyde Harrison was when he was dealing with business. Callous. Hard. Ruthless. She had heard stories of how merciless the man can be when it came to his business dealings, but she thought it was all fabricated, rumors only driven by jealousy and malice. Apparently, she was mistaken. "You heard me. You proposed to my son. He didn't exactly say yes but he's going to. And now, my wife is already making plans. I will not have them disappointed."

She sat perfectly still and countered, "And what happens if I don't -"

He leaned forward in his seat. "Did your father ever tell you how much your family corporation was in financial ruin? Ten years might be a long time and yes, Montez Pharmaceutical Corp has recovered most of its loses but it only takes one call to my financial advisor and who knows," he trailed, a hint of threat in his voice, "…your father might find himself back in the same precarious position that had him indebted to me in the first place."

Gabriella stared at him in horror. "I thought you were my father's friend."

"Being his friend has nothing to do with this, Gabriella. Its purely a business decision, I'm sure you understand." He explained, his voice devoid of any emotion.

She looked directly into his eyes. A mix of emotions bubbled up inside of her. Anger. Betrayal. Hurt. "Bullshit."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. And here I thought you were a proper young lady."

"I'm in love with someone else." She bravely stated.

"Troy Bolton, I know," he hissed, his lip curled mockingly and continued, "Let me be clear, it's your choice Gabriella. Your choice to say yes. Or no. It's entirely up to you. You know, I've always liked you. Out of all the bimbos that my son has dallied with, you're really the only acceptable one. You come for a good family… except for that uncle of yours but then again, every family has its black sheep. Rotten apple, if you will. But you… you're different. Far from your uncle's stupid ways. You're smart so I know you'll make the right decision."

He stood up, ending the conversation just like that. One hand on the door, he turned and gave her penetrating stare, "Oh and Gabriella, my wife should be calling you soon, she mentioned something about finding a dress…"

She felt panic rising in her chest. "Why are you doing this?"

"For the very same reason that you'll find yourself walking towards the altar and Julian. I love my wife and son. And I would do anything - and I mean anything to make sure my family is safe and happy. You love your father, don't you? Cause it would be a shame if he lost everything… I don't think his poor heart can take that kind of stress. Think about it. Little advice, blood ties run deeper than anything. You have a good day, dear."

Her stomach churned. She didn't even notice that he was gone until Chelsea came in minutes later.

"Gabi, its Troy on line one for you."

There was no compassion in his face. No sympathy or any kind of positive emotion. Just a cold mask, Gabriella thought.

"Gabriella? You there… Gabi?", her secretary asked, waving one hand in front of her face.

She blinked and concentrated on what Chelsea was telling her. Hearing his name, she felt sick to the stomach. "I'm not here."

"Gabi…" Concern laden in Chelsea's voice.

She mechanically said. "Tell him I'm at a meeting."

"Are you sure you wanna do this? I heard everything, you know. Maybe, if we tell Troy about it, he can help you find a way out of this mess."

"Tell him I'm at a meeting, Chelsea." She repeated, more forceful this time.

"Are you -"

Gabriella snapped. "Just. Do. It."

"Okay." Chelsea shook her head and sent her another worried glance before exiting the room.

Alone, Gabriella sat in her chair, utterly still. She could feel the energy slowly leave her body. She felt tired. Weary. And she kept thinking that she should be crying by now. Because wasn't that the normal reaction. When she thought of her future, when she thought of this morning and how close she came to actually having a future with Troy, she would have thought she would be hysterically crying by now. It was almost too funny. To go from such a high and then to find all your hopes and dreams snatched from right under you. It sounded utterly ridiculous. But she had no choice. She had to do it.

She remembered Troy's face as he smiled at her this morning. She remembered the way his eyes twinkled when he talked of finally going on a proper date. She remembered the feel of his strong hands as caressed her cheek. She remembered it all.

"_I love you." _

But no tears came. Even after she'd risen, her co-workers long gone, and headed home where she could be alone, she did not cry.

The next day, when a bouquet of her favorite flowers was delivered at her house, and later at her office, both signed with a simple "I love you. Troy," she did not cry.

And the day after that when he came by her apartment, and then her office, and then left what seemed like a million messages on her phones, asking if she was alright, she did not cry.

The day after that day, as she stood on the rooftop, she caught sight of Troy standing on the pavement of the opposite building. She knew he saw her. Even from the distance that separated them, she could see his body tense, his eyes narrowed. And when she went back to her room, she stood by the window overlooking the street, waiting to see if he'll leave. He didn't. For several days, he stood outside her apartment building. Her lips trembled every time she saw a glimpse of him. But she did not cry.

A few days later, a proper engagement announcement appeared on _New York Times _Style section. He stopped coming after that. Her knees gave out and she toppled in a crumpled heap. And then finally, Gabriella found her tears.

~.~.~

**New York Times, Style: Engagement Announcement**

**31 July 2009**

_Julian Ryan Rutherford, son of Clyde and Margaret Rutherford, and Gabriella Elizabeth Montez, daughter of Nicholas and Maria Montez proudly announce their engagement. _

_The groom-to-be is the heir to the multi-billion dollar Harrison Steel Corporation, working closely along side his father in the company's main branch in New York. The bride-to-be is an art gallery director for Frange's Gallery and the unofficial spokesperson for her family's company-sponsored charity, Montez Children's Foundation. _

_The wedding will be held 13 August 2009 at the historic St. Patrick's Cathedral.  
_

* * *

I absolutely adore this chapter. :laughs nervously:

And if I am not mistaken, New York Times has stopped publishing engagement announcements but in my world, they still do.

Reviews are much appreciated.


	11. Pursuit

_AN:_ Again, wow, the reviews are just all sorts of amazing. Sorry for the delay, this was suppose to be posted last Wednesday but I lost my USB which contained the completed Ch. 11 and it took me a couple of days to get my groove back and actually re-write this chapter. It didn't help that I was so pissed that I had to re-write it so yeah, not a big fan of this chapter.

First off, I just wanted to clarify a few of the things brought up by some reviewers. There is a reason why Gabriella didn't say anything to Troy and Julian and some of it shall be explained in this chapter. And, there's more with the whole Troy situation that again will be explained as you read this one. Let's just say he knows more than what you guys think he knows, if that makes any sense at all. Not everything is what it seems is what I'm saying.

Second, I guess I should elaborate more, I adore last chapter as a writer but on a reader's point-of-view, I wouldn't adore it as much for obvious reasons. Last chapter was really the culmination to why the first chapter was the way it was. And writing last chapter was a bit of hurdle for me to overcome since throughout writing _Running to a Stand Still_, you guys have no idea how much I've changed the scenarios leading up to the wedding. Clyde wasn't even suppose to blackmail Gabriella or anything when I first started this story and for the life of me, even I can't remember how I was suppose to explain why Gabriella married Julian. So yeah, that's why I adored last chapter.

Also, another clarification, the engagement announcement was posted two weeks prior the wedding date but the events that happened in the last chapter was around the first week of July. A month and a half may not seem like enough time to plan a wedding but to a very determined mother with boat loads of money, it can be done, that I can assure you. I hope that helps with the chronology of it all.

Now, onto the story… I've rambled on far too long.

I apologize for any grammatical mistakes or changes in tenses. Cause this definitely has not been edited or checked for mistakes.

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing.

* * *

"_Love is like the sea, rough at times, smooth at others, but one thing is for sure, it's always constant."_

**Pursuit**

"_What in the devil's name did you just do?"_

Ending with a string of very inventive explexitives - some even Troy had never heard before, Ryan, arms folded across his chest as he sat behind his mahogany desk, glared. Really glared at the man standing coolly in front of him.

Again, Ryan roared, "_What the hell were you thinking?"_

Troy at least had the decency to grimace. "I wasn't?"

Annoyed, the blonde-haired choreographer began another tirade, "Are you crazy? _Crazy? _You just hung up on Vladimir Solzenitzin, renowned Russian director of one of Russian's famed ballet company. And what the hell are you doing with my phone?"

Troy ignored him and grabbed the phone.

"I mean, its great to see you and all but you just hung up on him. No one hangs up on him. Not even his own mother."

Cradling the phone on his shoulder, Troy gave a tiny smile. "Breathe, Ryan."

"Breathe? You're telling me to breathe? I haven't seen or talked to you in days. You can't just waltzed in here and hang up on Vladimir Solzenitzin. _The_ Vladimir Solzenitzin and -"

His tirade was cut short when the phone was more or less, shoved in his face. "What the hell?", he sputtered.

Taking a step back, Troy said, "Ask for her. And don't mention anything about me."

"What are you -," but he was interrupted when a feminine voice came on.

"_Frange Gallery. Chelsea speaking_."

Ryan threw Troy a bewildered glance. "Hey Chelsea, its Ryan. Ryan Evans."

"_Oh, hey, Mr. Evans_."

"How many times have I told you Chelsea, its just Ryan, Mr. Evans makes me sound too old."

"_Right, sorry about that, Ryan_."

"No need to apologize. It's totally fine…"

Troy grabbed a paper and hurriedly scribbled, "**Gabriella!!!**".

Ryan frowned, still clueless at his friend's actions but asked for her anyways, "Right, I was actually calling for Gabriella."

"_Oh, she's actually in a meeting right now. Do you wanna leave a message?"_

He mouthed, "she's at a meeting" to Troy who just shook his head and motioned for Ryan to just hang up the phone. "No, no, I just wanted to ask if she wanted to grab some late lunch or something. Do you know when she'll be available?"

He could hear some paper rustling in the background. Then Chelsea's melodic voice came back on. _"Well the next few days are going to be crazy. Ever since the news came out a few days ago about the engagement_," a hint of chagrin in her voice as she said the last word, _"…and then the two sick days she took, everything sort of piled up." _

"Right, right. Well thanks anyways, Chelsea."

"_I'll tell her you called."_

"No, its fine. I don't want to keep her from her work."

"_Okay."_

"Goodbye."

She said her goodbyes and hung up. Placing the phone back on its cradle, Ryan arched a brow at Troy, "Wanna tell me what that was about?"

"Did she sound sincere?"

"I'm sorry?," he asked. Ryan felt a headache coming on.

"Chelsea? When she said that Gabriella was at a meeting, did she sound sincere? She didn't sound like she was lying or anything?"

"She sounded truthful to me. Why?"

"So its not just me," Troy muttered under his breath.

"What are you mumbling about now?" Clear exasperation rang in his tone.

"Nothing. Gotta go. Thanks, man. And sorry about the Vladimir guy."

"Hey, where are you going? And what the hell is going on?," Ryan shouted.

The only response he got was the closing of his office door.

~.~.~

Numerous calls to Gabriella and a several hours later, Troy found himself in front of Baylor's, holding onto two bouquets of white lilies.

"If you're planning on wooing any of my female or male customers," Zeke's voice rising in a very suggestive manner, "you'll need more flowers than that."

Troy raised an eyebrow. "Male customers?"

His friend gave him a measuring look. "Dude, I don't judge. I love rainbows and Brokeback Mountain."

"Right," answered Troy as he glanced at the flowers again.

"_So_, it's been awhile since I've seen you…"

Troy's only answer was a noncommittal shrug.

A brief silence fell.

Zeke was the first to cave in. "Okay, what are you really doing here?"

He didn't really get an answer but he did get two bouquets of flowers shoved in front of his face. Titling his head to the side to stare at Troy from behind the flowers, Zeke said, "_For me_? You shouldn't have. Although I've always been pretty partial to carnations. But this will do."

Withdrawing the flowers, Troy ignored Zeke and stated, "I need you to bring them to Gabriella's."

His expression went suddenly solemn. "And you can't do it yourself because?"

"It's a long story," Troy heard himself say.

Zeke grinned, "Lucky you then. I have all the time in the world. Now," placing a hand on Troy's back and directing him instead the bakery, he continued, "apple pandowdy?"

Troy sighed. And found himself relating his tale.

Thirty minutes later, Zeke stood in front of Gabriella's apartment, holding onto two bouquets of lilies. In his back pocket were two hand-written notes from his friend. Simple. Succinct. And straight to the point.

_I love you. Troy. _

~.~.~

Nearly a month after professing his love for Gabriella, Troy was growing desperate. Scratch that, he was beyond desperate. He was borderline frenetic. Unanswered phone calls. Unreturned messages. He even started standing out her apartment, hoping that she'll see him and come out. But it seemed someone was hell bent on keeping the two of them apart because even after absolutely no contact whatsoever with the women he loved, he still refused to believe that this avoidance was because she didn't really love him. That what happened that fateful morning was just a joke to her. He refused to give up on her. Like last time.

"Anything?"

Meyer rocked forward on his chair. "Nothing, sir."

"Absolutely nothing?," he asked again.

The bald forty year old man sighed. "I've looked everywhere. Everything seems to be up and up. All business dealings are completely legit."

Troy thought for a moment. "What about her family? I mean, he must have something on her family. Why else would he have those bastards follow her around all day, shadowing her as if -," he halted and took a deep breath, "There has to be something, Meyer."

"I have looked into her family, sir. There is nothing unusual to account for blackmail. Their pharmaceutical company has been doing pretty well for the last couple of years. Except for a minor hiccup ten years ago, there's nothing there. No amassing debts. Her father is actually in the process of expanding to the west coast and Canada."

Clenching his teeth in frustration, Troy very much wanted to punch someone. Or burn that damn _New York Times _Style section. Meyer was reputed to be one of the best in his business and yet, three weeks into it, he still haven't figured out what the hell caused Gabriella to agree to a marriage with Julian.

At first, he thought that Gabriella was truly busy. That she really needed to catch up on a lot of her neglected work. He decided to give her space. Some time to process everything. Three days into it, he started to fret. It was so unlike Gabriella to completely ignore his calls. Or her friends. And while standing outside her apartment building one night, he started noticing little things. Like the bulky man who always seemed to be in the same vicinity as Gabriella. Or the black BMV always parked in front of her apartment building and her office. That bulky man alone had him worrying. Doubting. When Meyer's report came back, his suspicions were confirmed.

The Gabriella he knew liked taking a cab to work. This new Gabriella had a limo drive her everywhere.

The Gabriella he knew never went on for days without at least calling either Taylor or Sharpay to tell them something funny or ridiculous that happened in her day. This new Gabriella barely even talked to her two girl best friends anymore.

And the Gabriella he saw this morning from afar, as he sat in his car in front of her office, was not his Gabriella.

Meyer shook his head as he stared at the files on his desk. "If there is anything, anything at all, I should have found it by now. I've look at any kind of ties or connections that link both families. I have looked at this at both the professional and personal angle and still nothing."

Troy paused and contemplated Meyer's earlier words. "You said Montez had a hiccup. What kind of hiccup?"

He frowned, "Come to think of it, there really wasn't much that I could find about that. All the records that I have dug up just showed a huge amount of cash taken out of the company. But I didn't think any of it because that very same amount was placed back only days later."

"It's a start." Troy said, staring at the date printed on the short announcement about the Rutherford and Montez engagement: 13 August 2009, two weeks from now. "We need to find something. And we need to find something soon."

~.~.~

Troy stood behind one of the many huge maple trees that lined the street of her apartment. She had a wedding to go to this afternoon. He would have thought that there would be more chaos. He'd always pictured wedding preparations, especially for the bride, to be a complete mayhem. True, he actually wasn't inside her apartment to know if she or anyone was freaking out. But he always figured there would be more buzz. A nervous father walking the street, back and forth, as he waited for his daughter. A bored driver who continually looked at his watch as he waited by the car. But outside her apartment, it was serene. Peaceful. Like there was nothing momentous about to happen.

The sound of laughter fleeted through his ears. He moved forward, and looked.

Her father came out first. Then another older man whom he assumed was the limo driver.

And then she came out…

… Gabriella, followed closely by her mother and Chelsea, both women were holding onto her train.

She was in a wedding dress. In all the times he'd imagine seeing her in a wedding dress, the one she was currently wearing was not how he had pictured it. The dress she was wearing - albeit beautiful, was not her. It was extravagant. Big. Very Cinderella-esque. And it had a very, very long train. It was the kind of wedding dress that any little girl dreamt of wearing. But not her. Not his Gabriella.

She smiled at something her mother said. And even from the distance, he could see that her smile was forced. Fake. The thought brought him a small amount of relief. But it didn't last long.

He heard the car start. And then, both her mother and secretary were seated inside. Her father was struggling with holding onto his daughter's wedding train with one hand and fuzzing with Gabriella's veil with the other. It was comical really. And had he not been so tense, he would have found the situation funny.

He watched as Gabriella stepped into the limo. A second later, she disappeared from his view. His father followed soon after. The limo door closed.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. The limo did not move.

Hope flared within him.

"Get out of the car," he whispered to himself, his eyes never leaving the stationary car.

A few minutes - or was it seconds, he was not sure, the limo was still there.

"Open the door and get out of the -", he repeated and gasped when the car door did open. He didn't realize that he was holding his breathe until it became a necessity.

But it was not Gabriella who got out. It was her secretary. Who then proceeded to go back inside the apartment building, returned moments later with a bouquet of flowers. Roses. This time, he did laugh.

Gabriella hated roses. Especially the red ones. He recalled her saying that such flowers had became so cliché that it wasn't romantic anymore. And yet here she was, about to carry a bouquet made of red roses to her own wedding. It seemed fitting somehow. Because nothing about this sham of a wedding was romantic at all.

Chelsea went in. A second later, the limousine was in motion.

He didn't know how long he stood there and stared at the spot where the limo had previously been parked. Someone roughly bumped into him. But he didn't care.

Truthfully, he felt nothing. He turned, his eyes moving to the corner where the limo disappeared to and yet he felt nothing. He should be frantic by now. The woman he was in love with was on her way to the church. She was about to get married. He didn't exactly have anything planned. He didn't exactly think things through when he made his way over to her apartment and stood across the street, doing nothing. All he knew was that the wedding cannot happen. Yet he didn't plan anything. Others would have planned something. Anything to stop what was about to happen.

But not him. He just stood there, motionless, long after the limo was gone. He did nothing. He didn't think.

Then he remembered her parting words as they left the park that morning. At that time, he thought nothing of the wording. He was just happy that she actually loved him back. Him, of all people. But now, looking back on it, her words had a foreboding tone to it, as if Gabriella knew that something bad was coming. In hindsight, he should have anticipated all the drama. Nothing about their romance was simple. In fact, it was quite the opposite. But he loved her. And she loved him. And in the end, that's all that mattered.

_I love you, Troy Bolton... don't ever think that I don't, and don't ever forget that I do._

And then he began to run.

* * *

To those who doubted Troy… tsk, tsk, tsk. How could you ever think that he'll just give up on her like that? :?

… if anyone is confused, the events in this chapter is the month and a half leading up to the wedding. And yes, the last scene in this chapter is the beginning to the second part of Predator.

It's all uphill from here, really, coz' I mean, where else would I go right?

Reviews are much appreciated.

**Teaser for next chapter: Pawn**

_"Why are you telling me this?", he asked. _

_Folding his arms over his chest, Clyde stared at his son, a thoughtful look in his eye and explained, "Because, son, nothing about love is easy. It doesn't begin or end the way we think it normally does." _

_Julian let out a laugh. One that surprised his father. "She's in love with someone else, Dad."_

_Maintaing his relaxed position, he ventured, "I've seen the way she looks at you. She may not be wholly in love with you, but there's some affection there." _

_He didn't have to look at his son to know that there was indeed some truth to his words. Pausing, Clyde__ searched his son's face and continued, "I guess, I just don't want you to look back on this, ten years from now, and wonder. One of those proverbial 'what-if' scenarios… you don't wanna have any regrets." _


	12. Pawn

_AN_: As always, thank you for all your wonderful reviews. I would have gotten this out sooner had FF decided to let me log in. Oh the frustrations that went along with just uploading this in my account…

A Julian-centric chapter, sort-of… because there's always two sides to every story. Well, three if you count Gabriella and then Troy, but who's counting, right? The chronology of this chapter might confuse some of you but I needed to write this, for a myriad of reasons and I couldn't exactly fit it in last chapter or the next. Truthfully, writing the scene between Gabriella and Julian, as you will read, is the hardest scene I have ever written. And although I am not a fan of it since I know I could have written it better, it served its purpose. I struggled with portraying their emotions since it was hard to find inspiration for something that I've never personally experienced. So I'm apologizing for that.

Hope this explains some of the missing holes.

I apologize for any grammatical mistakes or changes in tenses.

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing.

* * *

_Love? It's kind of complicated. _

**Pawn**

He has never really thought of marriage. Never really thought of himself as husband material, with his womanizing ways and all. He was selfish. Overbearing. He was used to getting his own way. He was never one for compromises. And he never saw himself as the kind of guy who got married so young. At twenty-seven, he was at his prime. The world was at his feet and getting leg-shackled wasn't in his immediate future. He definitely was not husband material. Or so he thought. But the second she nervously proposed to him, he knew he wanted to say yes. Marriage, especially to her, wouldn't have been so bad. And if there was one women in this planet that could make him give up the rest of the female population, it would have been her.

"Julian?"

He wanted to say yes. Desperately so. But he knew needed to say no. At odds, he left, muttering something he couldn't even remember now and slamming the door in her surprised face. It was not his most glorifying moment, for sure.

"Julian!"

Said man looked up, blinking. Sitting in front of him was his father, arms crossed over his chest and a frown marring his face. "Are you ready to work or should I come back once you're done daydreaming?," Clyde asked in a dry voice.

Sheepishly, he apologized and wondered if he should seek his father's advice. And then decided not to. It was his father, after all.

Giving him one last look, his father looked back down the papers before him and signed it. Without looking up, he inquired, "What did you really think of the contract with SYS? I saw your changes in the provisions and truthfully, it seems irrelevant and not to mention time-consuming. If we go ahead with your revised draft, it would delay negotiations and -"

Without thinking, the words were out before he could stop himself. "Gabriella proposed."

That stopped his father. "I beg your pardon," Clyde murmured, disbelief amd surprise seeping in his voice.

Julian told himself that saying anything to his father was a bad idea. He paused and hurriedly said, "It's nothing. Forget I said anything. Now, about SYS -"

"No, no, no," in a much lighter tone, his father cajoled, "You can't leave me hanging like that. Gabriella proposed? So there is some truth to the rumor that you guys are engaged?"

He cleared his throat. "No, that rumor was just a rumor when it came out. She proposed. This morning."

"Oh."

Seeing his father's puzzled expression, Julian said, "Exactly what I said."

Aghast, his father exclaimed, "A woman proposed to you and you replied with _Oh_."

"Er, no. Maybe."

A corner of Clyde's mouth moved upward. And from the twinkle in his eye, he was clearly amused. "So are congratulations in order then?"

"Not exactly," Julian said, "I sort of left and didn't give her an answer."

A tiny bit of amusement faded in Clyde's eyes. "But what would your answer have been?"

"Yes. No. I don't know, Dad." Indecision and confusion clear in his voice.

The wheels in Clyde's head started turning. In a very compassionate and fatherly voice, he asked, "Did I ever tell you how your mother and I met?"

Surprised by the sudden change of topic, Julian tilted his head in confusion but replied nonetheless. "Yeah. At one of grandma's dinner parties which later turned out to be your surprise engagement party."

His father a slightly glazed look when he disclosed, "Actually, I met your mother a month or so before that. It was at some college party. She was uh, ironically enough, dating Jack Bolton at that time."

For the third time that day, Julian was flabbergasted. "Jack Bolton? As in Troy's father?"

"One and the same. Anyways, they've only been going out for a couple of months. Nothing too serious but it was serious enough for Margie, I guess. Your mother loved him, at least that's what she said. And Jack, well, Jack is a good man. He was never one for dating multiple girls at a time, unlike me. He was a one-woman kind of girl."

As opposed to him. "Like father, like son."

Clyde's lips curved at hearing his son's statement. "Yeah."

"So mom was in love with someone else when you guys got married?"

"That's something you'll have to ask your mother yourself. But at the time we got married, she hated me. Not me, per se, but the situation we found ourselves in. The first year of our marriage was rough. We were a train wreck waiting to happen. Inside the house, we barely talked. We couldn't even stand being in the same room. Dinners were always such a quiet affair. But we managed to make it seem as if we were the perfect couple in front of our families. "

"What changed?" Julian asked, curious.

"I had a minor surgery. An appendectomy. And for a few days after, you're mother became my nurse while I was bed-ridden. For the first time, we actually had a conversation," a genuine smile appeared in Clyde's face, "A real conversation. After that we became friends. We took it one day at a time. Before I knew it, I was falling in love with her. I asked her out on a date which is so backwards but nothing in our marriage was ever conventional. And the rest, I guess as they say, is history," he ended.

Bewildered, the younger man asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

Folding his arms over his chest, Clyde stared at his son, a thoughtful look in his face and explained, "Because, son, nothing about love is easy. It doesn't begin or end the way we think it normally does."

Julian let out a laugh. One that surprised his father. "She's in love with someone else, Dad."

Maintaining his relaxed position, he ventured, "I've seen the way she looks at you. She may not be wholly in love with you, but there's some affection there."

He didn't have to look at his son to know that there was indeed some truth to his words. Pausing, Clyde searched his son's face and continued, "I guess, I just don't want you to look back on this, ten years from now, and wonder. One of those proverbial 'what-if' scenarios… you don't wanna have any regrets."

A cell phone ringing broke the pensive atmosphere of the room. Without glancing at his phone, Clyde stood up and started walking towards the door. "Think about it, son."

"Dad", Julian called out before his father could leave the room, "thanks."

Clyde smiled. "Oh and Julian, send the revised consolidation contract with SYS. I'll have my lawyers look at it." Without another glance, he closed the door. Frowning, he determinedly walked to his office.

"Reschedule my one o' clock, Martha," he announced.

His secretary, a fifty-five year old woman who had been in his employ for more than twenty years, nodded her head.

"And have the limo brought up front."

"Yes sir," she replied, reaching for the phone. "Where to?"

His mouth curved upward. But this time, it wasn't because he was smiling or amused. Smirking, Clyde answered, "Frange Gallery. I have some business to take care of."

~.~.~

Julian found her alone in her office late at night. She was standing in front one of the many windows that framed her office, overlooking Central Park.

"Hey," he said softly, not wishing to scare her.

Without turning, she replied back. He could see her shoulders tense.

"I'm sorry," he began, unsure of where to start, "For yesterday morning. For slamming the door in your face. That was… rude of me."

This time, she turned. And gave him a cautious smile. "It's okay, Jul. I shouldn't have sprung that proposal on you like that."

An awkward silence surrounded them.

As minutes ticked away, he grew more nervous. He was so anxious that he started worrying about the most ridiculous things. In his mind, he wondered what he should do with this hands. Should he leave it as his side? Should he cross his arms? He was so focused on his thoughts that he only caught the end of what she was saying. Snapping back to attention, he cleared his throat and began, "So, um, about that proposal, I uh… you have no idea how much I just want to say yes." His voice got stronger, more confident. "But I can't and I won't. Because it's… it's not just right."

She was looking at him. But he knew that she wasn't actually looking _at_ him. "I love Troy," Gabriella declared.

He winced but he couldn't argue against it, "I know."

Her next words surprised and angered him. "But I still need to marry you. The proposal still stands."

Snapping, he growled, "Goddammit Gabriella, is this some sick joke to you? What, you'll marry me just to spit Troy for whatever the fuck he did to hurt you? Because let me tell you, it is not fucking funny." The last was accompanied by his fist slamming on her office table, rattling some of the objects atop her desk.

She took a cautious step towards him. "It's not a joke, Julian."

He scoffed. "Bullshit. Marriage isn't just some game. It's about commitment. Sacrifice. Love."

She knew a lot about sacrifice, she thought to herself. "I know. I do love Troy."

Julian interrupted, getting tired of that particular statement. "I get it."

Ignoring him, Gabriella continued, "But sometimes, no matter how much you love someone," her eyes began to sting but she willed her tears back, "no matter how much you want to be with them, you realize that they'll never love you back that same way you love them." She paused, hating herself more for what she was about to say, "So no, proposing to you wasn't… I didn't propose to you just to extract some sort of revenge on Troy. I did it because I realized that, Troy and I," she closed her eyes and looked away, her voice faltering, "We aren't meant to be. And I know its ridiculous and wrong in so many levels but I wanna be happy."

He said nothing.

And this time, she actually looked at him. With as much force and confidence as she could muster, she stated, "And you make me happy. Is it so wrong to want that?" Walking slowly towards him, she said, "I love you, Julian Rutherford. I don't wanna regret not taking a chance on you. I might not be _in_ love with you yet, but who knows, maybe someday…"

His father's word fleeted in his brain. "Regrets, huh?"

A single tear fell, running down her cheek. Gently, he wiped it away and slowly caressed her soft skin. Everything changed for him. A moment of clarity, in a way.

Holding onto his hands, she whispered, "You always told me to be more assertive. So here I am, asking you to marry me."

"Are you sure?" he asked, because he needed her to be sure.

She nodded. "Yes."

Taking a deep breath, he looked intently at her once more. "Then it's a yes."

"Yes?" Gabriella asked, with a hint of doubt in her tone.

"Yes," he repeated.

She felt empty inside. But she smiled, because what else could she do? "Okay."

Brushing away some of her tears, Julian repeated, "Okay. You can stop crying now, you know."

Gabriella didn't even know she was crying. She figured it was acceptable. Everyone cried when they got engaged, right? They were happy tears, she kept repeating to herself. Happy tears. Leaning on him and burrowing herself into the warmth of his chest, she muttered, "You have no idea how much I needed you to say yes."

Kissing her forehead, Julian answered, "It's a good thing that I did right?"

Without looking at him, she knew he was happy. Really happy that he said yes. And she hated herself more for lying to him. She didn't want any of this. She didn't deserve any of this.

"You should answer that," she found herself saying at the constant ringing of his cell phone.

"No, whoever it is can wait."

She broke away from his embrace. "Answer it. Gives me a chance to compose myself and all that. I must look like such a horrid mess."

"You, a mess? Nah," he said in jest.

_Then why do I feel like it? _But she didn't say it out loud. She watched him as he moved to couch where he left his brief case. He answered his phone and smiled at her. She smiled right back. It was then she realized how much of an effort it was to pretend to be happy. She wondered if she could do this. She wondered if she could pull it of when right now, she already felt drained. She was massaging her temple and trying to find where she kept her painkillers when he finished his call. "It's my Dad's secretary. Negotiations fell through with one of the business dealings in London. And they're a very important client. Apparently, I'm on a red-eye flight tonight."

"Oh." Was it wrong for her to feel some kind of relief?

"I don't know how long I'll be gone. Martha said it might take only a day or two. But she wasn't sure," he added, gathering some of his things.

"It's important right?"

"Sort of."

Which truly translated to yes. "Go," she said.

He came to her. "Are you sure? I mean, we just got engaged."

"When have we ever been that kind of couple? Nothing about our engagement is normal." It was the first truth she said that night.

He gave her a chaste kiss. "I'll come to you once I get back."

"I'll be waiting," she said, because wasn't that what any newly-engaged love struck woman would say.

With other glance, he looked at her and smiled. Then he was gone. And she went back to rummaging for her painkillers to soothe her growing headache. "Damn it," she muttered when she couldn't find them. She picked her mug from the table and sat down in the couch.

"Bravo," Clyde said as he came out of where he was hiding behind some office cubicles, clapping his hands. "You know, from that performance I just saw, you could give your friend actress a run for her money. That was very moving, not to mention convincing."

She scowled and chose to ignore him. "Get out," she whispered. She even more tired, if that was even possible.

He grunted, "Oh, is that how you talk to your future father-in-law?"

Louder, she repeated, "Get out." From the corner of her eye, she saw him lean against her fridge, arms crossed over his chest.

"You made the right choice."

Gabriella snapped. "Get. Out."

He only raised an eyebrow which infuriated her further. Her grip on her mug tightened as she roared, "Are you happy now, you selfish arrogant prick?"

He had the audacity to laugh. "Selfish arrogant prick? I'm doing this for my son, some would even call that the opposite of selfish."

Finally, she looked up and met his hard gaze. "And what do you think will happen once he discovers that you're blackmailing me just to marry him, huh? You really think that he's going to be happy to know that his bride was just bought by his daddy," she finished, pure disgust laden in her voice.

Menacingly, he advanced. And before she could react, his hand was on her chin, holding her face in place to make sure they were looking eye-to-eye. In a grim voice, he stated, "Well, then, we have to make extra sure that you play your part right - the blushing bride with stars in her eyes as she stares at my son. If he suspects anything, _anything_ at all, I'll have my -"

She interrupted, trying to break out of his hold. "I get it."

Abruptly releasing her, he took a step backward. "Just as long as you remember. And understand."

Gabriella hugged her arms to her chest and tried to stop herself from crying. She would not give him the pleasure of seeing her break down.

Sparing her another glance, Clyde walked to the hallway but not before he announced jovially, as if the events only seconds before did not happen, "Oh, and Gabriella, my wife was able to schedule St. Patrick's Cathedral for the 13th."

Her heart began to beat faster. Gabriella stared at him in horror. "Of August? But she told me that it was booked until January."

There was a hint of steel in his voice, "Yes, well, one unfortunate couple had to cancel. Is there a problem with an August wedding?"

She swallowed, "That _soon_?"

Clyde gave her a level stare. "The faster the better, I'm sure you of all people would understand that. Less chances of you getting cold feet. In your case, that wouldn't exactly be wise."

~.~.~

He remembered the first time he met her. Spring break during his sophomore year in college. Back then, she was the definition of a party animal. He had heard a lot about her. She was the only daughter of his parent's best friends. Top of her class. Graduated high school a year earlier than everybody else. And yet, there she was, standing atop the bar, dancing to MC Hammer's _'U Can't Touch This'_. She was drunk of her ass and even without seeing a picture of her beforehand, he had a feeling that she was the Gabriella Montez that he was always hearing about during family dinners. It wasn't love at first sight. In fact, she didn't even remember him the next day they saw each other. And he totally forgot about her once he went back to Duke. And yet here he was, about to get married. To her.

And if he was honest with himself, it scared the crap out of him. Because there was more to this wedding than just the two of them. A lot was riding on this wedding of theirs.

"Honey?", Margaret softly said, slowly opening the door to his bedroom and breaking him out of his reverie.

He sighed and turned around. "Yeah, Ma?"

"The limo is here to take us to the church."

"Thanks," he replied, giving her a small smile. "I'll be right out."

Crossing over the room, she hugged him and whispered in his ear, "You're going to make a fine husband. Don't take too long okay."

Breaking the embrace, Margaret smiled and closed the door upon her exit.

Julian, dressed in a classic tux, tugged at his tie and looked at himself one last time at the full length mirror the wedding planner left in his room. He was getting married. He took a huge breath, fixed his tie one last time and muttered, "Showtime."

* * *

In terms of chronology, the first scene in Pawn would be placed around the same time as when Troy and Gabriella said their 'I love you's'. The second scene would obviously come after the part where Clyde threatened Gabriella in the Pretense chapter.

Up next, the wedding. Finally, right? We're caught up, timeline wise so might I suggest re-reading the very first chapter just to refresh your mind.

Reviews are much appreciated.


	13. Pandemonium

_AN_: Sorry for the wait, there really is no excuse. Except that I am ashamed that I write TG fanfics. Which sounds really bad but no one really knows about my love for Zanessa or my guilty pleasure that is HSM. How does that relate to the lateness of this chapter, well, you see, my sister was home for spring break last week (this is where the embarrassment kicks in) which meant little or no privacy to actually write. Then, it was my older brother's turn this week. Essentially, this chapter was written over the wee hours of the night, over the course of two weeks while everyone was asleep. Coupled with the fact that my muse took a little vacation herself, something she has been doing quite a lot lately, I had difficulty writing this chapter, especially since this is _it_. This chapter is what I was building up towards every since I posted the very first chapter of _Running to a Stand Still_. Funny thing is, it feels like the story didn't move forward but it did, if that makes any sense. I don't know if this will answer any questions you have, hopefully it answers _some_.

Oh, from the reviews, I know some of you were confused by a lot of things in the last chapter. Gabriella's rationale in doing what she did being one of the big confusing things for a lot of you and I wish I could try and explain it more eloquently but it is what it is. She's torn between following her heart and essentially following her duty and responsibility to her family. And obviously, she chose family over Troy. I could try and rewrite that last chapter to show more of her internal struggle but quite frankly, I feel like I'd confuse you guys more.

Btw, Zac Efron in SNL, effin' hilarious. I would have gotten this out sooner had I not been watching our dear boy showcase his comedic prowess.

I apologize for any grammatical mistakes and changes in tenses.

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer: _I own nothing. Standard wedding script taken from renolovechapel. com, bigbeards. com/wedding and supremecourt. .

* * *

_It seems madness and love, are in many ways, soul mates. _

**Pandemonium**

She'd rehearsed it in her mind a hundred times. Repeated those two very simple words out loud when she was alone; a rarity these days, especially with the wedding right around the corner. She stood in front of the mirror, saying it over and over and over again. She wanted to be prepared. She _needed_ to be prepared when she said it in front of the hundreds of guests that have been invited, a majority of them, she didn't even know. It was pretty simple really. The priest would ask a simple question. She then would respond with a simple answer.

_I do_.

Simple. Succinct. Two monosyllable words that even a young child can utter without any difficulty. _I_. _Do_. And yet, Gabriella struggled, finding it hard to say those words without having that nervous inflection in her voice.

"I do," she whispered what seemed like the hundredth time that night, with a hitch to her voice, as she stared at herself in front of her bathroom mirror. She smoothed over the fabric of her wedding dress, an elaborately done ball gown of softly folded tulle and organza, accentuated with a burgundy sash. A single tear rolled down her cheek and she hastily wiped it away, looking the other way from her reflection in the mirror.

She'd always envisioned how her wedding would turn out. But it's not like she already had a detailed and ornate view of how she wanted her wedding to be. She didn't have a scrapbook filled with magazine cutouts of wedding dresses or flower bouquet arrangements. But like every young girl, she had an idea, a vision of herself walking down the aisle. Specific details that always remained, even as she years passed by and her childhood faded away. She would be married at the church where her parents were wed, dressed in a simple white gown. She would be carrying a bouquet made with white and red calla lilies. Tulips, hyacinth and hydrangea - in shades of pink, deep burgundy and lavender would adorn the aisles. Her bridesmaids, Sharpay and Taylor, would be dressed in Venetian red - a color that they had always insisted complimented them both. A harp, something that has always reminded her of Medieval England, would start playing, signaling her entrance. The cathedral doors to St. Patrick's would open and she would walk out slowly, her parents at her side, towards her groom.

She got the church. And her parents were going to be there to give her away. Everything else, well, according to her soon-to-be mother-in-law, did not fit the vision she already had of her son's wedding. Margaret Rutherford Harrison was already deprived of planning her eldest son's wedding; she was not going to miss out on her youngest. Regardless of her or Julian's feelings on the matter, Margaret had the final say. And with Clyde looming over in the shadows, Gabriella let Margaret have the final say. A violin would be playing, not a harp. It was more classic, she said. A modest gown was not fitting for someone of their social stature, she argued when Gabriella opted for a simple and relaxed dress while they were at the bridal store. Instead of lilies, she got roses.

And instead of Troy, she was walking towards Julian.

Time and time again, she'd heard the saying 'Life wasn't easy, life wasn't fair'. She knew it was true. But never, in her entire existence, could she actually apply the said adage to her life. Until now. Nothing could be more true that than statement at this point in her life.

She was getting married tomorrow. But not to the man she loved. She supposed she should be grateful that she was marrying a man who loved her, a man who will make her happy. She supposed that she should be thankful that her family's company would be safe and that her father won't have to deal with another financial breakdown that nearly gave him a fatal heart attack years ago. She supposed that she should feel lucky, compared to others, her problem wasn't life threatening. Others had bigger problems than hers. What was a broken heart compared to poverty or war. She guessed she should feel happy - or at least some other positive emotion that any bride felt. She was, after all, getting married tomorrow. But as she stared at her reflection, she allowed herself one moment. Just one brief moment to feel sorry for her miserable self.

"That's one hell of a dress."

Gabriella whirled around, her brown eyes widening in shock while one hand pressed over her now rapidly beating heart. "Sharpay", she exclaimed, upon seeing her friend, "I didn't hear you come in."

Her blonde-haired friend smiled and dangled a set of keys. "Got a copy of your key when you first moved here, remember?"

Gabriella didn't bother responding; she was more focused on calming her heart at the fright Sharpay gave her.

"I never would have pegged you for someone wearing a Cinderella-esque gown," the young actress commented, coming to stand by her side and touching the side of her wedding gown.

"It's a beautiful dress," she replied, looking at mirror again.

Sharpay arched a brow. "I didn't say it wasn't. It just doesn't scream you."

Again, she didn't bother responding. They both knew that whatever she may say next would be a lie. Instead, she asked, "What brings you by," she paused and glanced at the clock, "at 11:36 at night?"

"You're getting married tomorrow," Sharpay answered.

"Thus the wedding gown and veil."

A smile slowly broke over the blonde woman's face at her friend's answer. "No bachelorette party huh?"

"What fun would it be if it was just Chelsea and me?"

Sharpay remained silent.

Studying her friend's solemn face, the brunette asked, even though she already knew the answer, "You and Taylor aren't coming to the wedding, are you? Chad? Zeke? Ryan?"

She titled her head, her gaze fixed on Gabriella. She didn't say anything for awhile. Then she shook her head.

Gabriella gave a tiny smile. "It was stupid of me to ask. I mean, you guys are mad that I'm doing this. For hurting him. You guys were pretty vocal about it too."

"We're not mad, Gabi. Just incredibly confused," came Sharpay's response. "This wedding is just so sudden. I know that your dad arranged this with his dad but didn't you say that the engagement is not set in stone? You and Julian weren't even planning on accepting this bullshit engagement and then, bam, out of nowhere, you're engaged, for real, to Julian. It just doesn't make much sense."

"It's not complicated with him," she stated, the lie coming out easier as time passed by. At this point, she was starting to believe it herself. "I need to marry him."

An eyebrow arched. "Funny choice of wording there."

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders. Avoiding her friend's gaze, she asked, "Is he…" and paused and sighed. "Is he… is he okay?"

"Yeah," came Sharpay's immediate reply. "But then again, it's Troy. He can be pretty good at hiding his feelings."

She turned away from her and discreetly wiped away a tear. "It's getting late. I should um, get some sleep." Once she had composed herself, she looked back at Sharpay and continued, "After all, I am getting married tomorrow."

"You sure you want to do this?"

Drawing in a breath, she held Sharpay's gaze. After a moment, she smiled and said, "I'll walk you out."

Sharpay didn't point out that Gabriella never really answered her question. And for that, the brunette was thankful.

Opening the front door, Sharpay took her hand and squeezed it. "He loves you."

"Julian," she blinked up at her, feigning ignorance, "I know."

Sharpay dropped her hand and stated, "I wasn't talking about him and you know it." Seeing the pained expression on Gabriella's face, she stepped forward and gave her a hug. "I'll try and come tomorrow."

"Thank you," she whispered, trying to stop another onslaught of tears from falling.

Gabriella couldn't exactly see Sharpay's face but she heard the knowing tone in her voice when she said, "Everything will work out in the end, you'll see. Troy will find a way."

She knew she didn't deserve him, after everything that has happened. She didn't deserve Troy coming after her. But she would be lying if she said that what Sharpay said wasn't the best thing she's heard in days.

~.~.~

"Are you ready?"

She would never forget the first time.

It only lasted for a second. It was brief. Short. And she was pretty sure that he didn't even remember it. But she did. They were fourteen. It was the first time they got their hands on alcohol, the strong kind. They snuck out during one of her parent's party, bringing with them a bottle of tequila. Or was it vodka? Not that it mattered in the end, they got wasted either way. She didn't remember who made the first move. But she did remember when their lips touched for a mere second. It was over before it really began. Thinking back on it now, it wasn't really a kiss, at least in the truest definition of the word. More like two lips meeting for the barest of a second because, in her drunken stupor, she fell on top of him. Afterwards was a blur.

"Gabriella?"

She would never forget the first time.

Like their first 'kiss', it only lasted for a second. It was brief. Short. And again, she was pretty sure he didn't even remember it. But she did. They were fifteen. It was New Year's; she remembered because of the beautiful fireworks. They left the Evan's New Year's party early, opting to spend the final minutes of the year '98 by themselves. They were sitting on her bed, their backs against the headboard, only a few inches separating them. He was complaining about the new girl he was dating. Trish, was her name, if she remembered it correctly. She was way too clingy, he grumbled. She then argued that most of the girls he'd recently dated were all the same. Clingy. Blonde. Ditzy. She teased him that he sure knew how to pick em'. He laughed, his voice dropping an octave and taking on a husky quality. She doesn't remember what exactly he said afterward but his phone, located by the bedside table on her side, started ringing. He leaned over her, casually touching her arm for support and grabbing his phone. It was the first time she felt chills run down her spine.

"Honey?"

And she would definitely never forget the first time.

This time, it didn't last for a second. It wasn't brief nor short. And she was pretty sure he never realized it. They were seventeen. It was the summer before their senior year and she was spending it in New Haven with her family. Her very first boyfriend of a year and one month broke up with her over the phone. She was heartbroken and alone. But despite the hurt, she didn't cry. She didn't know how he got wind of it. But only hours after being a single woman again, he showed up at her grandparent's doorstep. At the mere sight of him, she finally broke down. He carried her up to her bedroom. They ended up tangled in her bed, with him awkwardly petting her hair and mumbling gibberish to comfort her. He was a teenage boy who knew nothing about comforting teenage girls but the odd mixture of awkward hugs and nonsense words made her feel better. And as she pressed her face closer into his the crook of his neck, his arms securely around her, she found herself succumbing to sleep. She was pretty sure that he thought she was already asleep when he said it. But before she fully succumbed, she heard him whisper, "_He never really deserved you_" before giving her a kiss on the forehead. It was the first time she realized that she was falling in love with her best friend.

"Gabriella," Maria Montez called out again, bringing her out of her stupor, "are you okay honey?"

Blinking in confusion, she turned and saw concern on her mother's face. Behind Maria stood her father with a similar expression on his face. She then went about placating them.

Content that her daughter was indeed fine, Maria smiled gently and extended a bouquet of roses to her. "Ready?"

She smiled in return. "Yeah. Can you just give me a moment?"

Gazing warmly at her, Nicholas stepped forward and squeezed her hand. "Take all the time you need. We'll be outside."

Gabriella turned the moment the door closed. Eyes closed, she took a deep breath. Opening her eyes, she gave herself another long glance at the mirror before her. Her dress was immaculate. Her makeup and hair beautifully done. She plastered a smile on her face and with one last look at the mirror, she grabbed the veil, put it down over her face and sighed. In her mind, the mantra kept repeating, '_You can do this. You can do this_.'

Without so much as a knock, Samantha, New York's renowned wedding planner that clyde insisted they hire, peered in, "Everything okay in here, Gabriella? The wedding is about to start and everyone is waiting."

As if on cue, the beginnings of Mendelssohn's Wedding March began to play.

"Ready?" Samantha asked.

Gabriella nodded and grabbed her wedding bouquet on her way out of the bridal suite in the church.

Her last thought, before the doors to St. Patrick's cathedral doors opened was, 'she would never forget'.

~.~.~

"Family and friends, we are gathered here this afternoon to join Julian Ryan Rutherford and Gabriella Elizabeth Montez in the celebration of their marriage," the priest, a stout man in his early sixties that reminded her of her math professor, began the ceremony. "Marriage is the commitment to life - and to the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. In marriage, we give ourselves freely and generously into the hands of the one we love, and in doing so, each of us receives the love and trust of the other as our most precious gift."

Gabriella always thought it would take longer. Or at least feel longer when she walked down the aisle. But one second, she was standing before the cathedral doors and the next, she was in the front, standing by Julian and staring at the priest.

"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, love does not act unbecomingly, it does not seek its own, love is not provoked, does not take into account wrong suffering. Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. It is in the spirit of this love that you both have come here to exchange these vows. Julian, do you, declare in the presence of your guests, that you take Gabriella to be your lawfully wedded wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and stand by her in sickness and in health, and be faithful only unto her so long as you both shall live? If so, answer, I will."

From the corner of her eye, she spotted a flash of pink right next to Jack and Diane Bolton. Internally, she smiled. Sharpay came. What seemed like a distance, she heard Julian respond, "I will".

"Gabriella, do you…"

She swallowed and tried to calm herself. The priest continued on but she could barely hear him. She could see his lips moving, but she couldn't her anything.

"… both shall live? If so, answer, I will."

She paused and without realizing it, she found herself looking at Clyde. He was frowning and he mouthed something she didn't understand. But the look in his eye was enough for her to repeat, "I will."

The priest, taking her hand, placed it over Julian's. He smiled and squeezed her hand comfortingly.

The old man proceeded to recite more of the vows. As expected, the groom repeated. And then, it was her turn again.

"Gabriella, repeat after me. I take you, Julian, to be my husband…"

"I take you, Julian, to be my husband."

"… and these things I promise you from this day forward…"

"…and these things I promise you from this day forward."

She repeated after the priest; word per word as she promised to be faithful to him, to care for him and most importantly, to love him until death do they part. In the back of her head, she felt relieved that they were sticking to traditional vows. It allowed her to just repeat whatever the hell the priest said and not worry about pretending that whatever vows she would have made were truthful and sincere.

"The rings…" the priest called out. Julian's youngest cousin clumsily came up the steps leading up to the altar. But before he could reach their side, the doors to the church slammed open, the crash reverberating throughout.

Everyone turned around.

But for Gabriella, the crash didn't register at first. She was still looking ahead, waiting for the priest to continue. With one hand in the Bible and the other up in the air, the priest paused and sighed before closing the sacred book. But she didn't notice that either. She did, however, notice the silence.

She turned. And saw him. He looked haggard. As if he ran the entire way to get to the church. His clothes were disheveled. And his usually combed hair was in disarray.

"Troy?", she asked breathlessly.

Short of breath, he barely managed to reply. "Don't."

One smart aleck shouted, "We haven't reached that part yet, mister."

"You can't marry him, Gabi." he said louder this time, "Don't marry him." He staggered forth and tried to calmly walk towards her.

She said nothing as she watched him walk towards her. The crowd, even Clyde, sat still, waiting.

"Don't." He repeated. She took a step back.

"I love you." With each step he took, he repeated those three words over and over again.

Beside her, she saw Julian, smirking in the direction of someone. She saw Sharpay smiling, and right next to her, Jack's and Diane's mouths were agape. Of the side of the enormous cathedral, she could see several men in dark suits as they came over running over to him. She saw everything. From the stunned look on her parent's face to the confused look on the ring bearer's face as he stood there, not knowing what to do next. She saw everything, but not Troy as he came right up to her. It wasn't until he was mere inches away from here did she notice. And she never anticipated what he did next. Right there, in front of her and everyone in St. Patrick's, he took her trembling hands, she didn't even know that she dropped her bouquet at some point, and kissed her. She was oblivious to the gasp that resonated in the cathedral. She was oblivious to the Clyde's face getting red in anger. Nor Julian mouthing something to Sharpay, who frowned in return. And just like that first night they had together, it was just him and her.

Breaking the kiss, he repeated, "Don't marry him."

"Troy, why are you doing this?" she whispered, tears burning her eyes.

"I love you," he replied as if those three words were enough to explain everything, as if those three words were enough to fix it. "Marry me."

Her beautiful hazel brown eyes glistened and shook her head before stepping away. Away from him. The entire church stopped breathing, awaiting her response.

"Marry me," he repeated loudly but she could hear doubt linger in his voice while he waited for her response.

Tears were rolling down her cheeks and she was biting her lip.

"Marry me." His whispered words sounded loudly in the stillness of the church. "Marry me because I love you. Marry me because I could never live without you."

Everything inside her scream, "Yes". More than anything, she wanted to say "Yes".

Clyde stood up at this point and advanced towards them, she noticed. The reality of her situation came back full force. Her head twisted slightly and then she spoke, pure anguish and despair laden in her words. "I can't."

She doesn't remember much of whatever happened next. All hell broke lose. Julian's father, along with his bodyguards, came charging up to Troy, escorting him out of the cathedral. He offered no resistance. Clyde, ready to punch Troy, was immediately stopped by Jack Bolton, who charged right up to them. Her own father came running up to the two, trying to break up the fight. The priest, overwhelmed by the chaos and mayhem inside such a sacred place, fainted. Her mother came rushing up to the now fallen priest. And from there, everything just went downhill. Every guest was in uproar, all simultaneously talking and moving around.

Frozen in her spot, Gabriella closed her eyes, wishing that she would soon wake up from this nightmare.

"Not exactly the wedding of your dreams, huh?", Julian commented at her side.

In a caustic tone, she replied, "Ya think? Nothing about this sham of a wedding is ever part of my dream wedding." The moment the words left her mouth, she wished she could take it back. "Julian," she began, intending to apologize for her harsh words.

But instead of seeing a pained expression on his face, he was smiling at her. Brightly. "Finally, the sarcastic Gabriella I know comes back. For awhile there, I thought you'd turned into this submissive woman who is willing to be at my, well, really, it's my father's beck and call. I was worried for a while..."

Realization dawned on her. "You knew about the blackmail?" she incredulously asked.

"I can explain, Gabi."

The resounding sound of her hand hitting his cheek was Julian's only answer.

* * *

I'm hoping no one saw that coming. And if you're confused, no, the wedding didn't exactly continue after that whole shebacle. I hope this was worth the wait, because dear gawd, writing this was a biyatch. I'm not completely happy with this chapter but when am I ever?

I can see the finish line from here. I'm hoping that by the end of April I can get this done and focus on _Missing Pieces_. Then again, I said the same thing back in March. So, cross your fingers.

Reviews are much appreciated.


	14. Partings

_AN_: All I'm going to say is, it is getting harder and harder to write anything for _Running to a Stand Still. _No amount of ZV pics and sightings, even videos of the two is making this any easier…

Funny enough, it was the Jonas Brother's _Turn Right _that inspired me to write this new chapter. To those who know me, this is very ironic indeed, but I have to at least give credit where its due. So, thank you, JB…

I apologize for any grammatical mistakes or changes in tenses.

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing.

* * *

_Sometimes the two people most meant for each other are the last two to realize it._

**Partings**

~.~.~

**SPOTTED: **A visibly upset Julian Rutherford in a very heated conversation with his very own father in the front steps of St. Patrick's Cathedral, minutes after all hell broke loose in the Montez-Rutherford wedding.

13 August 2009, 3:42 p.m.

~.~.~

He was drunk. Wasted. Hammered. Plastered. Pissed drunk. Buzzed. More intoxicated that he's ever been in his entire life. Not that he made a habit of inebriation, in fact, he'd only picked up a drink or two in times of celebration and it was always in moderation. But yesterday was once in a lifetime event. One that surely he and the rest of people in attendance will never forget - or at least will be gossiped about until another 'scandalous' event occurred. He proposed and declared his undying love to a woman, not just any woman, _the_ woman. The one. His soul mate. His other half. His one true love. Only to be rejected by said woman. After twenty six years of bachelorhood bliss, he finally took a huge step towards marriage and commitment, a huge feat given his fondness for women, only to fall flat on his face.

_I can't._

True, he proposed to her at her own wedding. She was already garbed in her wedding gown that fitted her like a glove, looking majestic and elegant. She was already standing next to her soon-to-be husband, the priest in front of them, ready to ask them to recite their vows.

_I can't._

True, he barged in the church like a madman, running to the center aisle, proclaiming his love for her for the whole world to hear, oblivious and yet completely aware at the shocked faces of her wedding guests. But he ignored the hundred pairs of eyes staring at him in astonishment. Instead, he headed straight for her, evading the bodyguards trying to stop him. Once he stood in front of her, he kissed her and asked her to marry him. And at that moment, a resounding gasp filled the church and it was obvious that they were on the edge of their seats, awaiting her response.

_I can't. _

True, his proposal was inappropriate given the time and place. Even he cannot deny that. She was getting married, to someone else, someone that was not him. He tried to stop her wedding. And failed. Who knew that with just two words, she can break his heart in a million pieces.

Whatever after was blur. He couldn't really remember anything. He couldn't remember how he made it out of the church. At one point or another, he found himself at a bar, drinking vodka and gin as if its nothing but water. Hours later, when he deemed it enough that there was a sufficient amount of alcohol in his body to numb him and make him forget everything that has happened, he ended up here, ironically enough, in a place where he ultimately realized his love for her. A week ago he was standing here, at this very spot and he had an epiphany, a realization that he wished to spend the rest of his life with her.

The moon was out, casting an ethereal glow on the area about him. New York lay sleeping, but the city, even at this late hour, was never truly silent. In a distance, he could hear a disembodied cry, the bustling of taxi cabs. New York, at any time and moment, was always bustling with life and yet, right here, right now, everything seemed so silent. So serene.

He plopped in a nearby bench and rehashed the last few hours. He was sure she was married by now. To a man she barely know. A man who did not deserve her. A man who could never appreciate her fully for who she was, quirks and all. Despite the rejection, he cannot help but still love her. Want her. And he knew, she loved him too.

_I can't._

Maybe he was just a glutton for punishment and a masochist but he was not ready to give her up without a fight. Maybe it was the alcohol talking and making him delusional, allowing him to misinterpret things but she said, "I can't", not "won't" or even a flat out "No". She said "I can't".

He finally found her and he was willing to do anything to get her back.

Her husband or anyone be damned.

He was coming for Gabriella Montez and nothing and no one is going to stop him.

~.~.~

**Confessions… and just plain gibberish: **a Blog by Martina Hayden

_Bolton dampens Montez-Rutherford nuptials… _

… big time. You have to be living under a rock to not know the big spectacle that occurred only hours before in St. Patrick's Cathedral. The nuptials between Julian Rutherford and Gabriella Montez, both from New York's esteemed and oldest families, was dubbed by many as one of the weddings of the season, following a rushed engagement that surprised friends and family alike. And true enough, the Montez-Rutherford wedding definitely became _the_ wedding of the year - but not for the right reasons. Punches were thrown. Mothers were crying. Fathers were engaged on an all out fist fight. Guests were screaming. Some, including the priest, even fainted. The groom was standing there agape, alone in the altar. And the bride was nowhere to be found. It was a scene right out of Julia Robert's _Runaway Bride_, much to the delight of the various tabloid writers in attendance. Sitting by these keyed up entertainment journalists, you could just see their heads turning at the prospect of the tabloid fodder they were just handed in a silver platter. I can just see the front-page headlines awaiting the general public tomorrow morning and the over-the-top stories that would be concocted. And with the video of Bolton's appearance and ill-timed proposal already uploaded in various sites, pandemonium has surely reached an all time high for these three.

And while many will surely debate, speculate and embellish what exactly happened at today's festivity - others will disparage Bolton for his interruptions while some will swoon at his romantic gesture, the focus lies solely at the bride and groom. Both seemed enthusiastic enough to be there, standing in front of the priest and reciting their wedding vows. But to anyone who is actually looking, it is evident that both participants are not really into the wedding at hand. Robotic is the word that comes to mind when describing Montez' and Rutherford's actions. There is clearly more to the story between these three than meets the eye.

It should also be noted that the bride looked more devastated when Bolton was dragged out of the cathedral by the big, beefy bodyguards than at the prospect of her failed wedding to her very own fiancé. Or is it ex-fiancé? She did slap him before storming out.

Just saying.

Martina used her brains and hit the keys on 13 August 2009, 11:49 p.m.

~.~.~

The hours that followed the wedding were the hardest Gabriella had ever faced. After slapping Julian in the face and hearing none of his excuses, she found herself being jostled into the awaiting limousine by her distraught mother. The next few hours were chaotic and loud, but for her, there was feeling of stillness and tranquility that pervaded her bedroom. Unlike her however, her mother fussed and ran around her apartment like a chicken without its head. And when Maria Montez wasn't fretting, she answered the never ending phone calls that came in every few seconds. At one point, all the cell phones and landlines in her apartment rang at the same time. That was the only moment when Gabriella left the comfort of her bed to disconnect the phone lines and turn off her cell. And when her mother's Blackberry started ringing again seconds later, she grabbed it, pressed the call button and without glancing at who it was, shouted, quite rudely, that they leave her the hell alone. Her mother, getting the hint, cautiously took her cell phone back, turned it off and asked her daughter if she needed anything. In response, Gabriella only went back to the bed and continued to stare blankly at the wall, ignoring everyone and everything around.

"Gabi," Maria softly uttered, watching her daughter as she went back to staring.

"I just wanna be alone," came Gabriella's equally soft reply.

Coming to her side, the fifty-two year old matriarch gave her daughter a kiss and excused herself, promising to come back later. For a brief second, Gabriella felt at peace. But the feeling did not last long. Moments after her mother left, Maria was then replaced by Sharpay and Taylor, who would have surely made her mother proud with their own version of fretting and fussing. Both girls asked a million questions. Questions she definitely had no answers to. They repeatedly asked how she was feeling. They asked if she was fine. They asked if she wanted anything. They asked if she wanted to get dressed in something more comfortable. They asked if she needed to talk to Troy. Or Julian. They asked why she said no. They asked why she was getting married in the first place. When their questions went unanswered, her friends just sat by her side, offering comfort the only way they know how - by just being there.

And now, hours later, she let her head fall back amongst the pillows and closed her eyes as she enjoyed the silence. She felt oddly disconnected from reality and fatigue was starting to kick in. Which was funny since for the last few hours, ever since she left the cathedral, all she had done was sit in her bed and stare off into the wall. She haven't even bothered to change out of her wedding dress or even remove her veil, even though the fabric was beginning to bother her. She didn't want to do anything. And so she laid in bed, looking intently at the ceiling, hoping that the blankness of the space would make her forget. Just when she thought the memories was slowly fading away, Sharpay just had to ask for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

"How are you feeling? Are you okay? You can cry, you know? Or scream, if that's more your style."

How was she feeling, Gabriella mused. She knew she felt something. She _was_ feeling something. But she couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly. She wasn't relieved. Although she knew that she should be since Clyde's plan did not follow through and she wasn't married to a man she didn't love. And her family's company was still intact. She wasn't devastated. Although she knew that she should be since she was certain that she had just completely damaged her relationship with Troy, the man she wholeheartedly did love. Nor was she angry or sad. Or happy. She didn't even feel like crying but she felt like she should, like it was only appropriate that she do so. She _wanted_ to cry because it undoubtedly would be better than what she was doing now - which was absolutely nothing. So, there she laid and mused. She certainly was feeling something. She just didn't know what it was.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Taylor asked this time, laying a comforting hand on her lap.

Gabriella nodded. And smiled. It seemed easier than actually opening her mouth and giving a verbal response. She can do smiles and laughter. She's had tons of practiced; no one even noticed, bar a select few, that the light and twinkle never reached her eyes. The last two months of pretending was a huge practice run for the life she should have had with Julian, had the wedding went through. So, Gabriella can smile like nothing was wrong. She can pretend to be happy like her life was a dream come true. She can pretend to be fine even when deep inside, there was a void - an ache and longing that was swiftly consuming her.

Sporting a similar expression as their friend, Sharpay cautiously stated the obvious, "You don't look fine."

"I'm just tired," was her only explanation. It was true enough, she supposed. And it was an answer that she knew that both Sharpay and Taylor could accept.

"Do you need anything?", her blond friend repeated, trying to fill in the silence.

Gabriella smiled. And this time, it was genuine and real. "Thank you for taking care of me. For being here. But I'm fine. I'm okay," she grinned and touched both their hands, giving it a squeeze in assurance, "… at least I'm gonna be."

Taylor, afraid to say anything that might upset her friend, refrained from actually pointing out that she wasn't fine. Taylor knew it. Sharpay knew it. And she knew that Gabriella definitely knew it. But she couldn't say it out loud. She couldn't voice her concerns. So she settled for the question that she, along with Sharpay, had asked throughout the entire night. "Are you sure you don't need anything? You name it, and we'll get it."

"Sleep."

"Of course." Standing up, they took their bags and headed out the door. "We'll just be outside so just holler. We can sleep in the living room. It's gonna be like college again."

"Your couch is very comfy," piped Sharpay, trying to sound enthused.

Gabriella sighed and mirrored her friend's actions. "I'm gonna be okay by myself, you guys." To further her point, she beamed at them and added, "Really," as if that single word could single-handedly eliminate all their worries.

Taylor and Sharpay looked at each other apprehensively, not believing a single word their friend had said. Seeing the expressions on their faces, Gabriella ushered them out of her bedroom and restated, putting as much enthusiasm in her voice without sounding too fake, "Seriously, I am going to be fine. I just need to be alone. And I really, really need sleep."

Unconvinced that her friend was indeed okay but understanding that she did need some time for herself, Taylor conceded - albeit reluctantly, "Fine. But call us if you need anything. And I mean anything, okay, Gabi?"

Said friend nodded. And smiled. Again.

With one last uneasy look at her, both Taylor and Sharpay quietly left.

Gabriella's smile slowly faded, turning into a slight frown once the door fully closed. Gone were her mother's and friend's insistent worrying. Gone were the endless questions. Gone were the phone's ringing. The quiet inside her apartment seemed to echo against her eardrums. And that was when she realized what she was actually feeling. She felt lost. And she felt alone.

And that thought scared her.

~.~.~

**SPOTTED: **Julian Rutherford, entering his once set-to-be wife's apartment building in the wee hours of the morning, the day after their disastrous and now infamous wedding. He was then seen escorting Gabriella Montez, funny enough, into Troy Bolton's penthouse, hours later.

14 August 2009, 8:19 a.m.

~.~.~

In the twenty-some years she'd known him, she had never actually watched him sleep. It had always been a desire of hers, a silly fantasy of sorts. It was funny, she thought, that after all the nights they spent sleeping over at each other's houses while growing up, she never had the luxury. She never got the chance. And now, she sat opposite him in one of his lounge chairs. He was sleeping on the couch, still wearing the same clothes he wore when he crashed her wedding and he looked so peaceful, lying there. Lifting her hand, she couldn't resist as she tentatively touched his cheek. She had the sudden urge to touch him, to assure herself that he was real. He stirred for a second. And her heart stopped beating. But he only sighed and remained asleep. Staring at his face, she realized that she could watch him all day and never get bored. "I hurt you," she solemnly whispered, afraid of breaking the silence and waking him.

From his position in the couch, Troy felt a pull. He felt like someone or something was tugging, a presence that even in his deep sleep cajoled him into the light. Moments later, he slowly awakened. Opening his blue eyes, he moved in his make-shift bed, unaware that Gabriella sat frozen in front of him. He shifted his head and looked up. Blue eyes met brown. He blinked and sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

He didn't even seem surprised. Nor taken aback by her presence. "I'm sorry if I woke you," she began and continued on with her apologies.

He avoided looking at her when he gently answered, "You didn't. Want some coffee?", as if yesterday didn't happen. He intended to go to the kitchen but her next words stopped him.

Gabriella hugged her arms to her body. "Don't do that. Don't be nice to me. Scream. Cuss me out. Get angry. Call me a liar. A bitch," she said in easy succession, "Call me anything but please, don't be nice to me. Because I don't deserve it."

Troy searched her face, saw the guilt and pain in her eyes. His piercing gaze was dark, and his once gentle blue eyes burned with anguish when he glanced at her. "You don't deserve it."

"I'm sorry."

He continued, ignoring her. "But I'm not gonna get angry now. Don't get me wrong. I was angry. Furious even. It hurt to realize that you thought our love wasn't worth fighting for. That you could very easily just throw it away, just like that. And even when I realized what Clyde was doing, that anger, the hurt, it didn't go away."

"I'm sor -"

"Stop apologizing. You're always apologizing," he interrupted, shaking his head at her. "We both know, if you had to do things all over again, you'll do the exact same thing. You'll say yes. It's who you are. You're always thinking of others before your own happiness." He chuckled bitterly while giving her a level stare. "It's one trait of yours that I find very admirable. But damn Gabriella, I deserved more than just being tossed aside like a piece of trash. I. Deserved. More."

She flinched at the harsh tone of his voice. Troy rarely yelled. And at the few times he had, it was never directed at her. Never at her.

For the longest time, neither spoke. She had the overwhelming urge to apologize again. To tell him the whole truth, her true feelings and apologize some more. But the scowl on his face told her that another "I'm sorry" would certainly push him over the edge, if he wasn't already there.

With trembling hands, Gabriella reached behind her neck. Seconds later, she unclasped the necklace that adorned her neck and laid it on the table. Unable to help himself, Troy appeased his curiousity and leaned forward. He paused and looked up at her, genuine surprise etched in his face. "Is that…"

"… your grandmother's ring you thought you lost at New Haven? Yeah. Our caretaker found it somewhere when she was doing her spring cleaning at grandma's house. You still remember her, Marcie? She used to make us chocolate cupcakes when you stayed that summer."

"Yeah, I remember," looking down again at the simple silver band attached to a long chain laying innocently on the table. Memories of the last time he had it flooded in his mind in rapid succession. "That asshole broke up with you over the phone and I ended up spending the rest of the summer with you and your grandparents."

"Well, Marcie dropped it off…" Gabriella swallowed and mustered all her courage to continue. "… I've had it for years now actually."

It was the ring his great, great, great grandfather, a renowned womanizer who ran the opposite way at the mere mention of love, had given his wife on their wedding day. It was simple, free of any expensive gems or stones. It was neither extravagant nor flashy. To others, it would seem cheap and too plain - especially for a wedding ring and for someone in their social status. But it was the message engraved that made the ring one of the most precious and valuable jewelry in his family, one that has been passed down from generation to generation. It was a ring that epitomized that love did exist, even in their money-minded world and his great, great, great grandfather's words have always rang true for the men in his family.

_You gave me a reason to stop running. To stand still, live and love._

"Why'd you keep it?," he asked, still looking reflectively at the ring.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I knew how much the ring meant to you, it's a family heirloom. And I had every intent on giving it back to you. I was gonna give it back to you, I swear. Its just… I couldn't bring myself to part with it. It was the one tangible reminder of that summer. Looking at it, having that ring, made it all the more real. That summer, more specifically that night, was when I realized that you weren't just Troy Bolton, my best friend."

Troy met her hesitant stare with cool detachment. But deep inside, he was intrigued to hear what she would say next.

"You were comforting me after my breakup with him. And just when I was about to fall asleep , you whispered that Chris never really deserved me. Then you gave me a kiss on the forehead and pulled me closer," she smiled, recalling the feel of his lips on her skin. "You stayed with me the whole night. And the many nights after that. And in that single moment, I realized that I was falling in love you. Back then, I naively thought that my feelings would go away. That it was just some childish crush that will slowly fade in time. But it didn't."

Troy thought of the first time he came to a realization that she was more than just his childhood best friend. He could still see it in his mind, remembering the moment where he first felt that flutter. He was only eighteen then and foolishly, he thought that what he was feeling was merely lust. Having her body so close to his, feeling every curve, especially during that stage in his teenage years, he mistook his fast beating heart, that tingling feeling for mere physical attraction. But looking back on it now, that summer before they left for college, he was already falling madly in love with her - he was just too scared to admit it to himself, let alone to Gabriella. And maybe that was the crux of the matter. As silly teenagers, they were too scared to act on their feelings; believing that it was an attraction that would gradually fade. As adults, they were still scared. But not for the same reasons. In time, their feelings didn't wither. Quite the opposite, in fact. It only grew. Intensified. Even without acting on their feelings, their love, unbeknownst to each other, only deepened. And that was the scary part. And maybe that's why they ran at the opposite direction when their relationship turned into something more than just platonic.

He had always been skeptical that it would work. That risking their lifelong friendship was not worth the risk. It was a cliché, sure, falling in love with one's best friend. He'd heard stories, watched numerous romantic movies - with all of them ending happily ever after for the best friends-turned-couple. And countless times, he'd wished that his happily ever after would be with her. Even now, despite the fact that he'd been to hell and back, it was still her. Always her.

"And that afternoon, when you told me you loved me for the very first time…" she paused and tried to calm her breathing. Every now and down, she would wipe away the tears that streamed down her face. "I dreamt of that moment since I was seventeen years old. And I don't know when it exactly turned into this intense feeling. I don't when it started but all I now is, one day I looked at you and realized I was staring into my future. I understand that there is a strong possibility that you might not want to be with me. I didn't make this any easier for the two of us. I understand if you just wanna cut your losses and move on. You said so yourself, you deserve more." She gave him a rueful smile, "And why would you want to still be with me right? I mean, even I wouldn't want to be with someone like me either after everything that happened. So if you want me to let you go, I will. Just say the word. Because I'm in this for the long haul and I don't think I can let you go. You're the one who has to end it because I can't. So until you decide, I'll be waiting."

Taking his hands, she dropped the necklace into his palm. "I may have lied for the past month but that morning in the park… that was all real."

With one last look at him and a gentle kiss, one that she hoped wasn't their last, she stood up and walked towards the door. "You know where to find me."

It hurt, the prospect of actually letting him go, if he did desire it. It hurt, the mere thought of not having him in her life anymore. She told herself that he needed time and that it was the least she could do. That giving him the final choice was the only way they can move forward. She didn't dare hope that he would immediately take her back. After everything that happened, she knew that it required more than just apologies and tears before everything between them could be better. Before everything could be fully okay. But she would be lying if she said that she didn't hoped that he would call her back or even stop her from walking out of his apartment.

He didn't.

Truthfully, that hurt the most.

~.~.~

**New York Times, Business: Rumored fall-out between father and son, company's future in jeopardy**

New York, 19 August 2009 - There has been some rumblings for days now about an ongoing fight between Julian Rutherford and his father, Clyde Harrison. It is best remembered that Julian was recently set to marry Gabriella Montez, only to have the wedding called off when Troy Bolton, CEO of Bolton Inc. barged in and ultimately stopped the wedding. After the commotion subsided, Clyde insisted that a wedding will still take place in the very near future while his son insisted otherwise. What followed was a series of public spats between the two. Rumors of bribery and blackmail surfaced, painting Clyde in a negative light and inevitably hurting Harrison Steel Corporation's stocks in the financial market, as he supposedly blackmailed Gabriella Montez into marrying his youngest son in exchange for the Montez Pharmaceutical Corp's financial future. Clyde Harrison holds a significant percentage of shares in the Montez' company. And with his sizable control in the Montez Pharmaceutical Corp, if he so wishes, Clyde can pocket Nicholas Montez' company by aggressively buying key shares of stock. Gabriella and her family has declined to comment and Clyde himself denied such reports, claiming it as 'atrocious… and a business ploy by competitors" to bring his company down. Currently, the Harrison Steel Corporation is one of the largest fully integrated steel producers in the United States and the world, with almost 250,000 employees worldwide and ranking 25th in the Fortune Global 500.

An investigation about these allegations is currently underway.

_Update_: Clyde Harrison has officially resigned as the president of Harrison Steel Corporation. No word yet on whether or not his youngest son will take over.

* * *

… also, I have to give a big, scratch that, **HUGE** special thank you to **Arlyn** over at ZF for quietly 'pressuring' me into actually writing anything for _RSS. _This is for you, girl.

I'm not exactly happy with this chapter but when am I ever? But I figured, I needed to post something seeing as the PMs I've gotten have gotten harsher/angrier/desperate in their content. I bet you were expecting some TG reconciliation, didn't ya? Sorry, but next and last chapter is entitled **Proposal** so that should you tell you something. An epilogue is likely but not a guarantee at this point. And I know there seems to be gaps in this chapter, questions that should have been answered but I wanted to concentrate solely on Troy and Gabriella, without adding Clyde and Julian in the mix - at least not too heavily . All will obviously be answered with the next one.

And to anyone, _if_ anyone is still reading this, **thank you** for the reviews. I contemplated writing to each and everyone of those readers who left a review but it would take time that I do not have so in advance, sorry. Just know that every single review, and I mean every single one, means the world to me.

Also, I've gotten a few PM's about my Zanessa one-shots. Since VABN's MIM site is still down, I uploaded my stories in my LJ page (link can be found in my bio) and it has always been posted in ZF. It's also posted in Into The Lines, an HSM fanfic community over in LJ (link also in my bio).

Reviews are much appreciated.

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Thought I was done with my long ass author's note right? Not so quite. I decided to post a little sneak peak of the last chapter as a very late birthday present to Arlyn.

Excerpt from **Proposal**:

_His left hand came to her forehead, gently brushing away one of her bangs that managed to escape from her now messy bun. His other caressed her cheek to wipe away the tear she didn't even know was there. _

"_You asked me before if maybe we weren't meant to be together. That loving someone was never suppose to be this hard or to hurt this much…"_

_She glanced past him, avoiding his gaze and looking at anything but him. She braced herself for the inevitable pain. For the next few words that she knew would break her heart all over again. _

"… _maybe you were right," he finished._

_A moment passed. His words quickly sunk in. But there were no tears. There was no heartache. No burning pain in her chest. No fervent need to cry or do anything that most heartbroken women do. She almost felt calm. Odd, she thought to herself. Then her cinnamon brown eyes met his. His eyes were gentle. Warm. And the pain she'd somehow managed to hold at bay welled. She wanted him in her life. She needed to have him in her life. He was _the_ one. And what they had deserved something better that just her giving up and letting him go without a fight. _

_She opened her mouth to argue, to say anything to convince him that their love was worth fighting for. _

"_Gabri-", pressing one finger into his lips, she more or less screamed, "Stop", to halt whatever he was just about to say. _

_He blinked, wariness creeping in. _

_She drew a deep breath. In the back of her head, she wondered why she never planned for this. Why she never had a speech prepared, a plan - any plan on how to get him back. She was the organized one. She made lists. She had her entire life planned out to the minute. But when it came to him, everything just turned upside down. _

_Facing him squarely, she began. "If I could take back the last couple of months, I would. I would have handled the whole Clyde situation better. I would have handled _our _situation a whole lot better. But I can't take it back. I can't erase the past. But I can change our future. And yes, I did say that love was never suppose to be hard or painful. But I've come to figure out that if our love story was easy, it would just be plain boring." She ruefully laughed, "And we can't have that right?"_

"_If our love story was pain-free, well, that's just a load of bullshit and make-believe, right? Because I will make more mistakes in the future that will hurt you and vice-versa. I'm not perfect. And neither are you. But I don't want anyone else. I don't want a perfect man. I don't want a fairy tale, drama-free relationship."_

"_Gab -"_

"_No, let me finish." She paused, hesitating. "There are a million things in this world that I want, a million things that I can have with just a snap of my fingers," she uttered in a rush, "but all I ever needed was you. Just you." _

Like I said, reviews are very much appreciated.


	15. Prospectus

_AN_: Long time no see. I know, I know, this update is like a year too late.

What you will read next isn't exactly a new chapter, just a summary or a recap of the last fourteen chapters since I figured, hey, it's been nearly a year and I'm sure whoever is still reading has forgotten everything by now. Also, to make this summary more interesting, it is done in a mock-blog format with Martina Hayden (oddly enough, this 'character' was never really suppose to have much presence in the entirety of this story so it surprises me time and time again that in many ways, the fictional Martina Hayden and her blog has sort of been a catalyst in pushing the story forwards at times. Just a little tidbit for you readers out there, haha.)

Also, I'm posting the last TG scene from last chapter since what happens in the final chapter happens only moments after this scene ends.

No worries though, a new and final chapter awaits this one. You guys can thank the new ZV airport candids. I had written nothing, for months except for that one scene posted months and months ago. Truthfully, with school and everything, this was the farthest from the mind. The real world was always calling and I had to answer. But seeing Zac so affectionate and protective, my love for the couple was renewed. In a span of a couple of a day or two, I wrote this and the final chapter. Amazing, huh?

I apologize for any grammatical errors and changes in tenses.

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer_: I own nothing.

* * *

**Confessions… and just plain gibberish: **a Blog by Martina Hayden

_New York Spectator: The Anatomy of a Scandal_

The New York social scene is notoriously fickle, so fraught with scandals and bedlam that one has to wonder how these people could ever really function in the real world – or even in their own reality, one that is so different and unreal from regular life. For us normal folks, arranged marriages, blackmails, the cliché tale of two best friends torn apart by familial duty (Romeo and Juliet, anyone?) and the like seem so surreal that one wonders if such happenings aren't straight out of a Hollywood movie script. We've all seen in it movies, read about in romance novels but witnessing something as strange (and perhaps, even tragic) reminds us that all those wretched romance stories we've come to know and love are based – somewhat – on true life.

Such is the case with New York's latest social scandal. Dear readers, if you'll just bear with me for a moment as I navigate the tangled web our key players have weaved in this electrifying tale. And I do mean electrifying, in every sense of the word.

Our story began with two childhood friends. One Gabriella Elizabeth Montez, the only daughter of Montez Pharmaceutical Corporation's Nicholas and Maria Montez. The other, a Troy Alexander Bolton, current CEO of Bolton Company and our heroine's long-time best friend-turned-lover (and then turned spurned ex-lover, but I'm getting ahead of myself). And let's not forget Julian Rutherford, heir to the multi-billion dollar Harrison Steel Corporation, Gabriella's on-and-off boyfriend for three years. But we'll get to Mr. Rutherford later since the juiciest part of this zany story revolves around the love found (and immediately lost) by Ms. Montez and Mr. Bolton.

The relationship between Gabriella and Troy is familiar to us all. Two close friends who harbor deep feelings for one another, only to hide said feelings for fear of ruining a life-long friendship. Typical in almost every romance story, one passionate night changes everything for these two best friends. But fear was a strong motivator. Just ask these two. Instead of embarking on the start of their happily-ever-after, these two lovebirds find themselves struggling with whether or not to risk their friendship in hopes of entering unchartered territory for the two of them – that of lovers, and maybe more. Before they could declare their undying love for one another, the unexpected (or expected, depending on how cynical you are) happened. Two meddling fathers (one with the best of intentions and the other, well, not so much) interfere, throwing a huge curveball into our lovers' path by engaging Gabriella with Julian. Enraged, Troy broke it off with our girl, too hurt to listen to her explanation. And this was where Julian Rutherford came in, perfecting our love triangle. You see, New York's notorious womanizer was in love with Gabriella Montez, but unlike all the villainous 'other man' in most stories, Julian actually ended up helping our hero and heroine get back together. But not before he agrees to marry Gabriella. Confused? You're not the only one.

See, Nicholas Montez and Clyde Rutherford hatched this plan of arranging the marriage between their children. Sadly for Nicholas, Clyde's intentions were not exactly of the purest of intentions. Blackmail and heartache abound as Clyde threatens to financially destroy Montez Pharmaceutical Corp. Honor-bound and afraid for her father's unstable health, Gabriella acceded to marrying his son. Warned by Clyde to not tell a single soul about the blackmail, Gabriella went ahead with engagement – alienating both Troy and her friends.

Perhaps the most salacious – and heartbreaking, part of this story occurred during the day of the wedding itself. Despite having his heart broken, our hero (after running maniacally on the streets of New York towards St. Patrick's Cathedral, as many New Yorkers have witnessed) ended up crashing Gabriella's and Julian's wedding. After a heartrending moment where Troy professed his love for Gabriella (with a marriage proposal to boot!) and the bride's painful rejection, all hell broke loose. Troy was escorted out of the building. The priest fainted. Mothers were screaming. Punches were thrown. It really was a scene right out of a Hollywood movie. Only this time, instead of a happily-ever-after, it seemed only pain and heartache surrounded our characters. Gabriella, realizing that true love does conquers all, decided to ask for Troy's forgiveness. And to profess her undying love too, as she was escorted to Troy's apartment – by none other than Julian himself (honorable of him, don't you think?). Unfortunately for our heroine, our hero wasn't too keen on accepting her back with open arms. I believe Shakespeare said it best when he wrote, _the course of true love never did run smooth_.

So what happens now, you ask, dear reader? Last I heard, Troy have been cornered by his friends, demanding that he make it right with Gabriella. As for our heroine, she's been MIA for awhile. Last time Gabriella was spotted, she was seen leaving Troy's apartment crying and decidedly looking-heartbroken.

I love scandal as much as the next New York gossipmonger. But it wouldn't hurt for a happily-ever-after, especially for these two. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Hayden used her brains and hit the keys on 15 August 2009, 10:17 p.m.

~.~.~

Last time on _Running to a Stand Still: Partings_

In the twenty-some years she'd known him, she had never actually watched him sleep. It had always been a desire of hers, a silly fantasy of sorts. It was funny, she thought, that after all the nights they spent sleeping over at each other's houses while growing up, she never had the luxury. She never got the chance. And now, she sat opposite him in one of his lounge chairs. He was sleeping on the couch, still wearing the same clothes he wore when he crashed her wedding and he looked so peaceful, lying there. Lifting her hand, she couldn't resist as she tentatively touched his cheek. She had the sudden urge to touch him, to assure herself that he was real. He stirred for a second. And her heart stopped beating. But he only sighed and remained asleep. Staring at his face, she realized that she could watch him all day and never get bored. "I hurt you," she solemnly whispered, afraid of breaking the silence and waking him.

From his position in the couch, Troy felt a pull. He felt like someone or something was tugging, a presence that even in his deep sleep cajoled him into the light. Moments later, he slowly awakened. Opening his blue eyes, he moved in his make-shift bed, unaware that Gabriella sat frozen in front of him. He shifted his head and looked up. Blue eyes met brown. He blinked and sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

He didn't even seem surprised. Nor taken aback by her presence. "I'm sorry if I woke you," she began and continued on with her apologies.

He avoided looking at her when he gently answered, "You didn't. Want some coffee?", as if yesterday didn't happen. He intended to go to the kitchen but her next words stopped him.

Gabriella hugged her arms to her body. "Don't do that. Don't be nice to me. Scream. Cuss me out. Get angry. Call me a liar. A bitch," she said in easy succession, "Call me anything but please, don't be nice to me. Because I don't deserve it."

Troy searched her face, saw the guilt and pain in her eyes. His piercing gaze was dark, and his once gentle blue eyes burned with anguish when he glanced at her. "You don't deserve it."

"I'm sorry."

He continued, ignoring her. "But I'm not gonna get angry now. Don't get me wrong. I was angry. Furious even. It hurt to realize that you thought our love wasn't worth fighting for. That you could very easily just throw it away, just like that. And even when I realized what Clyde was doing, that anger, the hurt, it didn't go away."

"I'm sor -"

"Stop apologizing. You're always apologizing," he interrupted, shaking his head at her. "We both know, if you had to do things all over again, you'll do the exact same thing. You'll say yes. It's who you are. You're always thinking of others before your own happiness." He chuckled bitterly while giving her a level stare. "It's one trait of yours that I find very admirable. But damn Gabriella, I deserved more than just being tossed aside like a piece of trash. I. Deserved. More."

She flinched at the harsh tone of his voice. Troy rarely yelled. And at the few times he had, it was never directed at her. Never at her.

For the longest time, neither spoke. She had the overwhelming urge to apologize again. To tell him the whole truth, her true feelings and apologize some more. But the scowl on his face told her that another "I'm sorry" would certainly push him over the edge, if he wasn't already there.

With trembling hands, Gabriella reached behind her neck. Seconds later, she unclasped the necklace that adorned her neck and laid it on the table. Unable to help himself, Troy appeased his curiousity and leaned forward. He paused and looked up at her, genuine surprise etched in his face. "Is that…"

"… your grandmother's ring you thought you lost at New Haven? Yeah. Our caretaker found it somewhere when she was doing her spring cleaning at grandma's house. You still remember her, Marcie? She used to make us chocolate cupcakes when you stayed that summer."

"Yeah, I remember," looking down again at the simple silver band attached to a long chain laying innocently on the table. Memories of the last time he had it flooded in his mind in rapid succession. "That asshole broke up with you over the phone and I ended up spending the rest of the summer with you and your grandparents."

"Well, Marcie dropped it off…" Gabriella swallowed and mustered all her courage to continue. "… I've had it for years now actually."

It was the ring his great, great, great grandfather, a renowned womanizer who ran the opposite way at the mere mention of love, had given his wife on their wedding day. It was simple, free of any expensive gems or stones. It was neither extravagant nor flashy. To others, it would seem cheap and too plain - especially for a wedding ring and for someone in their social status. But it was the message engraved that made the ring one of the most precious and valuable jewelry in his family, one that has been passed down from generation to generation. It was a ring that epitomized that love did exist, even in their money-minded world and his great, great, great grandfather's words have always rang true for the men in his family.

_You gave me a reason to stop running. To stand still, live and love._

"Why'd you keep it?," he asked, still looking reflectively at the ring.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I knew how much the ring meant to you, it's a family heirloom. And I had every intent on giving it back to you. I was gonna give it back to you, I swear. Its just… I couldn't bring myself to part with it. It was the one tangible reminder of that summer. Looking at it, having that ring, made it all the more real. That summer, more specifically that night, was when I realized that you weren't just Troy Bolton, my best friend."

Troy met her hesitant stare with cool detachment. But deep inside, he was intrigued to hear what she would say next.

"You were comforting me after my breakup with him. And just when I was about to fall asleep , you whispered that Chris never really deserved me. Then you gave me a kiss on the forehead and pulled me closer," she smiled, recalling the feel of his lips on her skin. "You stayed with me the whole night. And the many nights after that. And in that single moment, I realized that I was falling in love you. Back then, I naively thought that my feelings would go away. That it was just some childish crush that will slowly fade in time. But it didn't."

Troy thought of the first time he came to a realization that she was more than just his childhood best friend. He could still see it in his mind, remembering the moment where he first felt that flutter. He was only eighteen then and foolishly, he thought that what he was feeling was merely lust. Having her body so close to his, feeling every curve, especially during that stage in his teenage years, he mistook his fast beating heart, that tingling feeling for mere physical attraction. But looking back on it now, that summer before they left for college, he was already falling madly in love with her - he was just too scared to admit it to himself, let alone to Gabriella. And maybe that was the crux of the matter. As silly teenagers, they were too scared to act on their feelings; believing that it was an attraction that would gradually fade. As adults, they were still scared. But not for the same reasons. In time, their feelings didn't wither. Quite the opposite, in fact. It only grew. Intensified. Even without acting on their feelings, their love, unbeknownst to each other, only deepened. And that was the scary part. And maybe that's why they ran at the opposite direction when their relationship turned into something more than just platonic.

He had always been skeptical that it would work. That risking their lifelong friendship was not worth the risk. It was a cliché, sure, falling in love with one's best friend. He'd heard stories, watched numerous romantic movies - with all of them ending happily ever after for the best friends-turned-couple. And countless times, he'd wished that his happily ever after would be with her. Even now, despite the fact that he'd been to hell and back, it was still her. Always her.

"And that afternoon, when you told me you loved me for the very first time…" she paused and tried to calm her breathing. Every now and down, she would wipe away the tears that streamed down her face. "I dreamt of that moment since I was seventeen years old. And I don't know when it exactly turned into this intense feeling. I don't when it started but all I now is, one day I looked at you and realized I was staring into my future. I understand that there is a strong possibility that you might not want to be with me. I didn't make this any easier for the two of us. I understand if you just wanna cut your losses and move on. You said so yourself, you deserve more." She gave him a rueful smile, "And why would you want to still be with me right? I mean, even I wouldn't want to be with someone like me either after everything that happened. So if you want me to let you go, I will. Just say the word. Because I'm in this for the long haul and I don't think I can let you go. You're the one who has to end it because I can't. So until you decide, I'll be waiting."

Taking his hands, she dropped the necklace into his palm. "I may have lied for the past month but that morning in the park… that was all real."

With one last look at him and a gentle kiss, one that she hoped wasn't their last, she stood up and walked towards the door. "You know where to find me."

It hurt, the prospect of actually letting him go, if he did desire it. It hurt, the mere thought of not having him in her life anymore. She told herself that he needed time and that it was the least she could do. That giving him the final choice was the only way they can move forward. She didn't dare hope that he would immediately take her back. After everything that happened, she knew that it required more than just apologies and tears before everything between them could be better. Before everything could be fully okay. But she would be lying if she said that she didn't hoped that he would call her back or even stop her from walking out of his apartment.

He didn't.

Truthfully, that hurt the most.

* * *

Here's to hoping that I didn't end up confusing you more with Martina's summary…

The new chapter will be uploaded on Sunday the latest since I have no internet access tomorrow and I have yet to finish edited it yet.


	16. Promise

_AN_: Almost two years and fourteen chapters from the day I posted this and we've finally reached the end. _Finally_. I can just hear a sigh of relief from those readers still reading this – if there still is any.

Pardon me while I go on a little spiel but seeing as this is most likely the very last story I will post in this fandom, I'm getting quite emotional.

I've been a ghost reader in the High School Musical fandom, among others here in FF, for quite some time now. Two years ago, I decided to try my hand at writing something, anything for this fandom. I started off with one-shots that I'm moderately proud of. Only moderately because looking back on it, my first few one-shots were not exactly crap but it wasn't exactly stellar either. Although it was nice to read back on my first one-shot and compare it to my stories now and realize how far I'm come. When I first started, I never categorized myself as a writer. Even now, I can't seem to bring myself to actually say that I am a writer. So to get the kind of response that I've gotten just blows me away. Once in a while, I'd get a PM/review where the reader wonders why my stories don't get as much reviews as other stories out here. I would be lying if I didn't say that it didn't warm my heart to get reviews like those. When I first started, I only expected two or three, and if I'm lucky, ten reviews for each chapter/one-shot. So to be able to reach more than a hundred is amazing for me. It has been a journey - filled with ups and downs. There were times when I just wanted to stop and completely abandon writing. But at the end of the day, I am extremely thankful that I decided to pick up a pen and write. I am extremely grateful for all the reviews that have come my way, even if it was just a one-liner telling me to update.

For the past five years, HSM and Zanessa has become a major part of my life. Being a member of ZF and FF, and the memories that goes along with it is something I'll always cherish. So thank you for all the readers that have stayed with me from the very beginning, despite my crappy update record. I know I haven't been the best in replying to every single one of you personally but that doesn't mean that I didn't cherish all those kind and encouraging words you've left me. You guys are the reason why I continued to write and persevered to finish any story that I have started.

I can't begin to express how much I have enjoyed writing for y'all. Thank you for giving me the opportunity. I am both extremely flattered and humbled by every response and feedback I got.

Thank you.

Now onto the story.

I apologize for any grammatical errors and changes in tenses.

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

It began on a summer day many years ago.

One ordinary day where a distraught teenage boy ran towards a girl. It was a day that the girl thought that she'll forever remember with sadness. But instead, as gentle arms enveloped her petite body, it was theday that changed everything for her. It was the day she realized that maybe, he wasn't just a boy – he was _the _boy.

This was how it all started.

~.~.~

The first thing she noticed when she awoke was the warm body right next to hers. Warm breath that seemed to caress her neck. The touch of skin that sent a tingle of pleasure up her spine. Despite the sudden onslaught of pleasant feelings that seemed to surround her, she felt weighed down. Maybe it had something to do with the arm wrapped around her waist, strong - and possessive almost, in its hold.

Then she felt embarrassment when full awareness of everything around her came in rapid succession.

Her best friend was in her bed.

Her best friend was in her bed, with his arms wrapped around her.

Her half-naked best friend was in her bed. Half-naked.

It was then memories from last night assailed her. Being dumped over the phone. Being comforted by her best friend, who surprisingly, she found out, was suppose to be on a plane to Fiji with the guys but instead, came directly straight to her upon hearing of her relationship woes. She remembered telling him about what happened, about how callously Chris broke up with her over the phone. She remembered how angry he was and the more he talked about all the things he wanted to do 'that bastard to teach him one hell of a lesson', as he put it, the more emotional she became. In the end, she ended up crying her heart out. He, in turn, crushed her in his arms and before she knew it, her tears just would not stop. It wasn't until he rocked her in a slow momentum, whispering nonsense in her ears with that soothing voice of his, that her tears slowly ebbed away. Emotionally exhausted, she remembered him carrying her to her bedroom, gently wiping away her tears as they settled on her bed.

She remembered falling asleep before he did. But not before she felt something else.

A pressed kiss to her forehead when he thought that she had already gave way to slumber and the whispered, "He never really deserved you." She succumbed to sleep after that, with warm memories and a smile on her face, thoughts of Chris and their doomed relationship the farthest from her mind.

A movement from the corner of her eye broke her reverie. Slowly, she slightly turned her head, only to be met with broad shoulders, muscles rippling as he moved. And then she saw blue, as his eyes looked at hers with amusement, sleep still clouding his eyes.

"It's too early to be up, Gabi," he said, voice still husky from sleep. "Go back to sleep."

Glancing at the wall clock past him, she smiled and proceeded to tell him that it was already past nine in the morning. To which he delighted in reminding her that it's summer, therefore, "sleeping in is a must, babe. No school. Nothing to do but sleep. No need to be a spoilsport."

Ignoring the butterflies that decided to settle on her stomach upon hearing the word 'babe', she just poked him on the chest (a move she'll instantly regret since he was so hard and warm in her hands). "Fine, but if you're planning on get more sleep, you better do it in your own room. Grandma's gonna have a heart attack if she catches you in my bed. Again. And as much as she adores you, she ain't too keen about you _corrupting _her one and only grandchild."

"Corrupting you," he scoffed but followed her advice as he moved towards the edge of the bed. Sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he gave her one last playful look and muttered, "If only she knew what a harlot you truly are."

She lets out a mock gasp. "Harlot? You've been spending way too much time with Ryan and his theatre friends."

He stuck his tongue out, grabbed his shirt and made his way to the door. "Wake me when lunch is ready."

Before the door fully closed, Gabriella called out to him. Turning, he gave her a questioning glance.

"Thank you," she ruefully smiled and added, "For being with me, even when you could have been in Fiji with the guys, getting drunk and picking up chicks by now."

He shrugged and nodded with a contemplative look on his face. "I'll always choose you." Quickly realizing how sappy he just sounded, he amended, "Fiji was a bust, I heard. Didn't really miss much, according to Chad."

Her last thought, before her bedroom door closed and his view - dressed only in his boxer shorts, disappeared was that, there was nothing better than waking up next to Troy Bolton.

~.~.~

_ 'If you love someone, if you truly love someone, you will put aside foolish pride and fear, __and love them without regret, without worry, because you know that without them, there is no reason for caring.'_

**Promise**

~.~.~

How does one go about healing a broken heart? A pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream? A good day of wallowing in one's pain and crying until there were no tears left to shed? Was there something she could take, Gabriella contemplated, that would speed up the process? Alcohol, maybe? That always worked in movies. Staring at the apartment door of her (ex, maybe?) best friend, she questioned if the numbness she was feeling will go away. Or if the broken pieces of her heart will mend in time. She'd often heard that time healed all wounds. But she knew that the pain and the guilt of hurting Troy will forever stay with her.

There were moments Gabriella wished she could take things back. Some, she could spot for miles. Like running away from Troy. Like proposing to Julian. Other moments… well, she never saw them coming until she was attempting to survive through the havoc her decisions and actions have caused. She wished she could ask for a do-over. A chance to go back in time and save all of them from all the hurt and pain she'd caused. But the problem with that was, she'd never have the night with Troy. The few precious hours where he held her and showed her what true love really felt like.

It was selfish of her, true. But she was done doing the right thing. She was done sacrificing her happiness to keep everyone happy. All she ever wanted was Troy. Just Troy. But as she continued to blankly stare at his door and pondered the man that was just beyond the said door, she realized that may be, this time, she was already too late.

When all was said and done, she wondered, will they ever be the okay?

~.~.~

Gabriella Montez was that kind of woman - the one woman that every womanizing bachelor dreaded meeting, and yet, couldn't wait to bring home to one's parents. She was the type of girl who symbolized the end of one's bachelorhood and the beginning of a life filled with a wife, kids and a white picket fence. She was simply Gabriella. And without even trying, she wormed her way into his heart.

Julian could not pull himself away from her completely, valiant as he tried – although, if he were honest with himself, he never really tried hard enough. His relationship with Gabriella became one that survived only in stolen moments. Times when she allowed herself to feel, to forget about a certain best friend who had permanently taken residence in her heart (and clueless as he was, Troy didn't even know it). It were in those stolen moments where Julian accepted any piece of her heart that she could give him – pieces of herself that, if truth be told, she gave to him (un)willingly even when he knew, she wished she wouldn't. Glutton for pain as he was, he never truly minded. She was, and has always been, in love with that damn Troy Bolton. He knew it. Everyone did except for those two. But she loved him too, that much he was for sure. Maybe not as much as she loved Troy, but she loved him. He took whatever she could give. And for a while, that was enough.

Until he realized that the feelings (lust, as he repeatedly tried to convince himself) he felt for her soon turned into so much more. He loved her. And watching her as she dealt with the aftermath of his father's stupid plan, clearly heartbroken, he realized that his relationship with Gabriella could only ever the 'in-between's'. The relationship that some women referred to as "the one before _the_ one." He could never been that guy for her. As much as he loved her, allowing her to settle with him was not option. It was never an option, not for him and certainly not for her.

As he watched her head into Troy's apartment while he waited in the car, trepidation settled in his stomach. Not because he wanted her for himself or because he wanted things between them to end, but because he wanted her to be happy. To finally be with Troy, without interfering fathers and nosy friends. He wanted her to ultimately find her happily-ever-after with the man that knew her inside and out. Except, Julian knew that it wouldn't be that easy. The male ego (and heart) was an easy thing to gratify. And even easier to bruise. Despite knowing all about Clyde's schemes, he knew that Troy was hurt by everything that she did. As a man, he understood what Troy felt. It wasn't easy to know that Gabriella was willingly giving up on the two of them – however noble her intentions were. The road to recovery for all them was going to be long one. Especially for Gabriella and Troy.

As minutes ticked away, his nervousness grew. Julian hated being wrong. He was right, always. But seeing Gabriella in tears as she ran downs the steps, towards him and away from Troy, he realized that for once, he desperately wanted to be wrong. He really hoped that those tears were of happiness and not because Troy did something stupid yet again.

With no hesitation, he opened the car door and enveloped her into his arms, trying to soothe the sobs that wrecked her petite body.

"Give him time," he whispered into her hair.

She hiccupped. "I know. I was foolish and optimistic to think that he'll just take me back with open arms but still…"

"You'll see, it's going to be fine. He'll come to his senses and realize what a stupid idiot he's being."

Gabriella moved away from his arms and wiped the tears from his face. She tried to smile at his attempt at making her feel better. But Troy's expression before she left his apartment haunted her. "I'm the idiot here. I never should have let him go. I never should have let this whole mess get this far."

"It's gonna be okay, I promise," he assured her. "Troy just needs more time."

~.~.~

"I don't know which one of you is more stupid," were the first words Troy heard as his friends came barging in his apartment. It was exactly four hours and twenty six minutes (not that he was counting) since Gabriella had left. And during that whole time, he literally stayed rooted in the same spot she left him, clutching his great-grandfather's ring and re-reading the words engraved in it.

_You gave me a reason to stop running. To stand still, live and love. _

"…Her for walking out and getting into this crazy mess? Or you," Sharpay exclaimed, pointing a well-manicured finger in his direction, "for being a stupid asshole for letting her walk out of here and allowing her to get in that mess in the first place?"

Physically and emotionally exhausted, he did not even bother arguing with her. What was the point? She was right on all accounts. Both of them have been incredibly stupid with how they handled this messed up situation, often forgetting the only thing that truly mattered – their love.

Not noticing – or plainly ignoring Troy's lack of response, Sharpay continued to voice her opinion. Insulting Clyde. Defending Gabriella, only to angrily question her friend's action at the same time. Insulting Troy, and then telling him that she understood what he was going through. All the while, his other friends just sat there, with worried expressions on their faces.

"You okay, man?" Ryan asked, stopping his sister from her long tirade.

"Love is supposed to be easy," he answered, with a thoughtful expression on his face as he twirled the ring on his finger. "It's what everyone always told us. It's simple and straightforward. It just happens, as grandma often said. So why is it that my relationship with Gabriella is _anything_ but?"

Taylor looked up and grimaced at Sharpay, trying to find the right words to open Troy's eyes and make him realize how stupid he was being.

But it was, surprisingly, Chad who eloquently retorted, "Maybe because this isn't some Disney fairy tale and shit? Maybe because we're living in reality? Don't get me wrong, our grandmothers were right in one respect. Falling in love is easy. It happens. But it's the _after_ part that complicates everything. Take now, for example. You are complicating a very simple situation."

"You call blackmail, meddling fathers, disastrous weddings and everything else that happened between Gabriella and I, _simple_?"

Chad shrugged. "Are you really angry at her for saying no because in her mind, she was trying to do an honorable thing for her family?"

Taken aback, Troy took a moment to respond. His brow furrowed but he answered truthfully nonetheless, "No."

"You were hurt, but never really angry at her, right?"

"Yeah," came his more wary response.

"See, your problem is pretty simple," Chad declared, "Falling in love with Gabriella was natural for you - unmistakable, even. So let me ask you this, the one question that really matters - do you still love her?"

"Yes," he replied in a heartbeat, a hint of annoyance obvious in tone. What did Chad think? That he could easily forget about her. That he could fall out of love with the one woman who truly meant the world to him. He didn't even have to think about it. He loved her. Wholeheartedly. Despite the drama, despite the pain, he loved her.

"Can you imagine the rest of your life without her? Can you really let her go?", Chad asked in quick succession, not giving his friend time to think.

"No."

Uttering softly, his curly-haired best friend asked next, "Then what the hell are you still doing here?"

Chad never did get a reply.

Troy was halfway out the door even before he could finish his question.

~.~.~

"Time's up, buddy."

Taken aback by the angry statement, Troy almost dropped his phone into the pond. Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair and turned around. "Have at it, although you should know that my friends have already knocked some sense into me."

Julian smirked. "But it wouldn't hurt to knock some more, now would it?"

Troy could only roll his eyes. Both men took a seat at the park bench, staring at kids playing in the park.

"How is she?," he asked, almost in a whisper.

Julian did not even have to ask who he was referring to. When it came to the two of them, it was always Gabriella. "She's fine, given the circumstances. She stopped crying, at least."

"That's good, I guess."

Resisting the urge to punch the guy, Julian retorted, "_That's good, I guess_? That's all you can say? You broke her damn heart."

"And she broke mine first."

"Oh, what are we, in kindergarten? Man up, dude."

Looking straight into his eyes, Troy stated, "You love her." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, so what? What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's just, I've often wondered. Why help me? Why tell me about your dad's plan? You love her. You could have married her by now. Why tell me?"

Rolling his eyes, Julian responded, "It was the right thing to do. When I found out about dad's plan, I was disgusted with myself. Disgusted for being so selfish as to actually accept Gabriella's proposal even though warning bells were ringing loud and clear. Disgusted at my dad for being so heartless. If we're being honest here, I could have kept it a secret. For one single moment, I thought about it. Really thought about it. I love her and I really wanted to be selfish and go ahead with the engagement. And no one will ever know."

"So why didn't you?"

Julian raised a brow. "You really are an idiot, you know that? I do love her, yes. And truthfully, she loves me too. But see, the crux of the matter is, she doesn't love me the same way she loves you. I can't even compete, dude. As much as I wanted her for myself, I couldn't do that to her. I couldn't trap her into a marriage built on betrayals and blackmail. Now answer me this," he asked, looking Troy straight in the eye. "Why did you stop the wedding? You knew about the plan to get Gabriella out of my dad's scheme. Heck, you planned it all yourself. You suggested the provisions to the pre-nup. You even hired the fake priest. So why interrupt everything? Why march into the cathedral and stop the fake-wedding?"

"I don't know. Fake wedding or not, I couldn't watch her get married to anyone but me."

"..which brings up another question that's been irking me since I saw Gabriella run out of your apartment crying this morning. Why did you let her go?"

Troy smiled. "Sharpay and Chad asked me that too. I don't know if anyone can understand it but despite knowing about Clyde's plan and us making a plan of our own to save Gabriella, it still hurts. I love her, don't get me wrong. There's no one else for me. But it still hurts to know that it was so easy for her to give _us_ up."

"Whoever said it was easy for her? If anything, she's the one who's been hurting the most."

Perhaps he was right, Troy thought. Actually, there was no perhaps about it. Julian was right. Maybe it was time that he stopped running. And started living the life he so desperately wanted with the woman of his dreams.

"Where is she?"

Grinning, Julian replied, "Where else would she be?"

~.~.~

Troy walked into the rooftop that evening more uncertain about a woman than he'd ever been in his entire life. He knew that forgiving her was going to be easy. She was Gabriella, after all. The one girl – besides his mother, that he trusted, that he loved wholeheartedly. But forgetting was entirely different matter. The hurt was still there. Even though he knew why Gabriella did what she did, it still hurt, still stung.

She, the root of all his internal dilemma, still hadn't seen him as he walked towards her. She looked fragile, sitting there on the bench and staring off into the sky. She looked like a mess, truthfully, her clothes disheveled, her hair in disarray. But to him, she'd never looked so beautiful. He may be angry at her but all that aside, his attraction and love for her was something he couldn't deny – not even to himself.

Per usual, the first strings of Bach sounded in the air as Gabriella's neighbor started her midnight ritual. Gabriella's eyes closed for a moment, savoring the memory and the melodic sounds. Upon opening them, she was startled to see that she wasn't alone.

"_Troy_," she exclaimed.

He smiled. Or at least tried to. He was sure that his effort only amounted to a grimace. "I looked everywhere for you. Been looking for the better half of the day, even called your house phone and cell. But I really should have known you would be here."

Brushing away the bangs that have fallen on her face in a nervous fashion, she explained, "It's always been a place where I could think."

"I know," he whispered.

She looked up at him. "What are you doing here, Troy?"

"Is there any other place where I should be?"

Ignoring his pointed gaze, she bit her lip. "I just thought, after everything, especially this morning, that where I am is the last place you'd rather be."

His left hand came to her forehead, surprising her at his close proximity, gently brushing away her bangs that managed to escape from her now messy bun again. His other caressed her cheek to wipe away the tear she didn't even know was there.

"You asked me before if maybe we weren't meant to be together. That loving someone was never suppose to be this hard or to hurt this much…"

She glanced past him, avoiding his gaze and looking at anything but him. She braced herself for the inevitable pain. For the next few words that she knew would break her heart all over again.

"… maybe you were right," he finished.

A moment passed. His words quickly sunk in. But there were no tears. There was no heartache. No burning pain in her chest. No fervent need to cry or do anything that most heartbroken women do. She almost felt calm. Odd, she thought to herself. Then her cinnamon brown eyes met his. His eyes were gentle. Warm. And the pain she'd somehow managed to hold at bay welled. She wanted him in her life. She needed to have him in her life. He was the one. And what they had deserved something better that just her giving up and letting him go without a fight.

She opened her mouth to argue, to say anything to convince him that their love was worth fighting for.

"Gabri-", pressing one finger into his lips, she more or less screamed, "Stop", to halt whatever he was just about to say.

He blinked, wariness creeping in.

She drew a deep breath. In the back of her head, she wondered why she never planned for this. Why she never had a speech prepared, a plan - any kind of plan on how to get him back. She was the organized one. She made lists. She had her entire life planned out to the minute. But when it came to him, everything just turned upside down.

Facing him squarely, she began. "If I could take back the last couple of months, I would. I would have handled the whole Clyde situation better. I would have handled our situation a whole lot better. But I can't take it back. I can't erase the past. But I can change our future. And yes, I did say that love was never suppose to be hard or painful. But I've come to figure out that if our love story was easy, it would just be plain boring." She ruefully laughed, "And we can't have that right?"

"If our love story was pain-free, well… that's just a load of bullshit and make-believe. Because I will make more mistakes in the future that will hurt you and vice-versa. I'm not perfect. And neither are you. But I don't want anyone else. I don't want a perfect man. I don't want a fairy tale, drama-free relationship."

"Gab -"

"No, let me finish." She paused, hesitating. "There are a million things in this world that I want, a million things that I can have with just a snap of my fingers," she uttered in a rush, "but all I ever needed was you. Just you."

Her words resonated between them. And in that singular moment, he realized how obtuse, not to mention foolish, he was in letting her walk out. Suddenly, he was the one who couldn't face her. He turned around, crossing his arms and stared out, not really seeing the moon up above or the Christmas lights that still glittered her apartment's rooftop. It reminded him so much of that night. Waltzing with her. It was easier back then. No pain. No blackmails. No heartache. Just Troy and Gabriella – with less baggage. But with all that mess came the understanding. The realization of how nothing that's worthwhile was easy. Love was something that you fight for. And how much, despite it all, he wanted her. Needed her. Only her. His best friend.

"I could leave, let you go because that's the unselfish thing to do," her voice cool and serene but her body throbbing in nervousness as she moved in front of him, "but the problem with that is, I'm learning that I am selfish. There's no one else but you."

His gaze lowered to her trembling hands and he tried to fight the itch to wrap his hands around hers – to soothe her frayed nerves. "You remember when our cross-country coach got so mad at me for throwing that game during high school?"

She was surprised by his question, so off tangent to the subject matter at hand, but answered nonetheless. "Yeah. You were coming in first but one of the runners came and told you I'd taken a bad fall. You ran back and gave me a piggy –back ride to the finish line."

He asked softly, "You know why I come back?"

"..because I was your best friend and I was hurt?," she replied, confusion laden in her voice.

"Because even back then, you meant everything to me."

His words left her speechless, but what he said next will forever be ingrained in her mind.

"And you have to know, no matter what, I'll always come back to you" Troy continued, looking straight into her eyes and repeated the words he said to her all those summer ago when her heart was first broken, "I'll always choose you."

He watched as a myriad of emotions washed her face. Just the thought of spending another day without her filled him with a sense of fear. Regardless of her earlier outburst and subsequent reassertion of her feelings, it still scared him. She walked away from him once. Heck, he did too. Their journey towards finding each other had been tumultuous at best, filled with blackmailing fathers and ex-boyfriends. Had it been any other woman, he would have walked away the first moment trouble seemed to be brewing. But with her, he had to try. Despite his momentary lapse of judgment, he could not afford to just let her go. He couldn't afford to live a life without her.

Gabriella's silence worried him but as a timid smile appeared in her face, he sighed with relief. They may have a lot more problems to work through but it was a start because at the end of the end, as long as they had it each other, it was all that mattered. This time, he was sure, things were going to be okay.

After his declaration, she had no qualms about telling him. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you," she proclaimed. "My future is you." She was his. Had been for a very long time now, and it was time to let everyone know it.

He couldn't help but grin. Troy was sure he looked like a lunatic but he didn't care. "Is that a promise?," he cheekily replied.

She took a deep breath as fresh tears fell down her face. "If you want it to be."

"Don't cry," Troy said gently, as his fingers met a telltale tear. "I love you," he confessed in a roughened voice.

His plainly spoken words were her undoing. Her hands rose up to meet his, so that she could cradle his palm against her cheek. "I love you too, Troy."

~.~.~

**Central Park Boathouse, June 2010**

"Why did you do it?"

Turning around from watching Chad and Troy make a fool of themselves as they danced to Hall & Oats' _You Make My Dreams Come True_, Julian was met with a petite young woman who looked familiar, no older than twenty five, maybe, curls framing her face and a smile on her lips. "Pardon?"

She shrugged, "I've always wondered. Why'd you let her go?," her head pointing to Gabriella who was shaking her head as she tried to fend off Troy's attempts to get her into the dance floor, "Don't you love her?"

"I do…" In spite of his confusion as to the stranger's (very) personal question, he answered. "But sometimes, no matter how much you love someone, they will never love you back the same way you love them..." He looked back onto the dance floor, and onto Gabriella, looking captivating in white. "… and somehow, you just have to learn to be okay with that."

The woman beamed, obviously affected by his sweet words and somewhat mesmerized by the vulnerability and hurt she'd seen in his eyes. Taking two champagne flutes from the passing waiter, she handed on to him before clinking their glasses, "You know what I think, you're gonna make some lucky woman very happy someday. You deserve so much better than being anyone's second best."

He laughed. The first real laugh he had in months.

She sent him a quizzical look.

"Its nothing. It's just," he paused, remembering the conversation he once had with Gabriella, "an amazing woman said that to me once."

She smiled at him again and Julian thought that she had a very pretty smile. "You're going to be okay, Julian Rutherford."

He looked at her. Actually looked at the woman standing in front of him. And for the first time, he really believed that everything was going to be okay.

"I'm Chelsea." She extended her hand, "Chelsea Smith. One of the bridesmaids. We already met, well not really. I'm Gabriella's assistant too but we've never actually been formally introduced. You might have seen me around the Gabriella's office, manning the front desk, answering calls, that kind of stuff. And I'm usually not this forward but I kind of figured…", she rambled, a habit she often does whenever she's placed in awkward situations – only this time, it was actually one she placed herself in.

Julian smiled to himself as Chelsea continued to drone on about the most random stuff, her delicate hand still clutching onto his. Had it been any other girl, he would have been annoyed, but with her, he found it oddly endearing.

He shook his head in agreement at something she said, and he thought, "_Yup, everything was going to be okay._"

~.~.~

It began on a summer day.

One ordinary day where a trail of white calla lilies and magnolias swept across the cathedral's central aisle, as she walked in a dress of silk and tulle while he stood, eyes glistening as he watched her approach.

That is how it ended.

Or maybe, for Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez (now Bolton, as she would often remind her father), two best friends whose life changed on that fateful night, it was how their future began all over again.

* * *

**Thank you** for reading. Words can't even begin to describe how grateful and honored I am. Special shout out to Arlyn for truly being my number 1 fan. You're the best, girl! Yes, Troy knew all along about Clyde's plan (well, technically, he found out after Julian did). Yes, Troy and Gabriella did get married.

Reviews are much appreciated.

~.~.~

Also, I know some will be confused by the chronology of the scenes so here's a breakdown:

First scene (Troy and Gabriella in bed): yes, it's a _flashback_ from when they were teenagers. It was a scene that I actually mentioned a few chapters back and just elaborated on in this chapter. I thought it was a nice tie-in and provides a nice TG background.

Second Scene (Gabriella): Present time. This one is right after the TG scene from last chapter. After she left Troy, she just stood there, outside his door, lamenting about what happened.

Third scene (Julian and Gabriella): Present time, minutes after the aforementioned scene.

Fourth scene (Troy with friends): Present time, a few hours after Gabriella left.

Fifth scene (Troy and Julian): Present time, after Julian was with Gabriella from the last scene, he confronted Troy. Also, this scene was after Troy was confronted by his friends (see second scene).

Sixth scene (Troy and Gabriella): Present time, after Julian and Troy talked.

Seventh scene (Julian and Chelsea): One year later, an epilogue of sorts. This scene takes place in TG's wedding reception.

**Again, thank you for reading.**


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